City & Guilds faces legal action over plans to cut 400 UK jobs

City & Guilds, one of the UK's leading providers of vocational qualifications and technical education, is embroiled in a significant dispute over proposals to make around 400 UK staff redundant. The Unite union has announced potential legal and industrial action, accusing the organisation of failing to follow proper consultation procedures and withholding crucial information during the restructuring process. Union officials claim City & Guilds has breached employment law by advertising new positions externally whilst simultaneously placing existing staff at risk of redundancy. This practice, if proven, would deny workers their statutory right to be offered suitable alternative employment before external candidates are considered, raising serious questions about the organisation's adherence to fair redundancy practices. The proposed cuts cast uncertainty over the future capacity of the skills sector to deliver essential vocational training, apprenticeships and qualifications. For local authorities working to support post-16 pathways, T-levels and adult learning provision, instability at major awarding bodies could have significant implications for skills delivery and the preparation of young people for the labour market across Wiltshire and beyond.