Two charities receive funding through the City & Guilds Group’s Skills Development Fund
Leading global skills development organisation, the City & Guilds Group has announced grants to two charities – The Change Foundation and Global Generation, as part of its £5m Skills Development Fund.
The Fund, which launched in September 2015, supports projects and communities to create long-term, sustainable change by developing skills across the world.
London-based Global Generation will receive £160,059 over three years. The organisation trains people in hands-on skills such as gardening and carpentry to help them build relationships with each other and the world around them. The funding will support the Living Culture programme, an initiative targeted at NEETs in London’s Kings Cross to support their personal and vocational skills development. The programme also opens doors for young people to employment and micro-enterprise opportunities.
The Change Foundation, a youth charity that uses sport and dance to transform the lives of those at risk from social exclusion, will receive £147,329 over three years. The funding will support Generation Storm, a mentoring, fitness and wellbeing programme aimed at empowering young female care leavers to make positive transitions into education, work or training. The programme, which was successfully piloted in Sutton three years ago, provides women aged 16 to 21 with the skills and confidence to think positively about their futures.
Speaking about the investments, Dr Ann Limb CBE DL, Trustee of the City & Guilds Group and Chair of the Skills Development Fund Committee said:
‘We are delighted to be contributing to the work of these inspiring organisations. The purpose of our Skills Development Fund is to invest in high-impact projects that pave the way for people across the world to develop their skills. Both of the charities play an important role in increasing opportunities for those who have previously been locked out of education and training. Together, we truly believe we can change people’s lives for the better.’
Jane Riddiford, Founding Director of Global Generation said: ‘Through the work we have done in London’s Kings Cross, we have learnt that when a community comes together, a natural logic starts to flow that weaves together the environment, education and enterprise. We are thrilled that the City & Guilds Group is supporting us with our new Living Culture Programme and are really looking forward to the opportunities it will create for local young people and businesses.’
Andy Sellins, Chief Executive of The Change Foundation said: ‘We are delighted that that City & Guilds Group will support us to deliver an initiative that empowers more young women to take control of their futures. Generation Storm will help young women leaving care develop skills for life and will also create a network of female mentors that can act as a sounding board and help these young people make positive transformations. These young women are often just surviving each day and we hope to provide positive relationships that can help them aspire for more. We are really excited by how much the programme can achieve.’
The projects that the City & Guilds Group invests in as part of the Fund must help people get into employment, or progress within employment. For the first year, the Fund is investing in projects around three key themes:
- Supporting women and girls to develop their skills
- Preventing offending and re-offending
- Promoting positive skills labour mobility
For more information about the Fund, visit www.cityandguildsgroup.com/skillsdevelopmentfund
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