City & Guilds scraps plans for 400 UK job cuts and Greece offshoring

Vocational training body City & Guilds has reversed plans to impose mass compulsory redundancies and offshore approximately 400 UK jobs to Greece. The Greek-owned parent company PeopleCert, which acquired the charity’s training and awards business last October, had proposed the cuts as part of a £22 million cost-saving drive. The decision to scrap these plans secures the future of hundreds of UK-based roles within one of the country’s most prominent awarding organisations for vocational qualifications. City & Guilds plays a critical role in delivering apprenticeships, technical training and adult learning programmes that local authorities rely upon to support employment pathways and economic development. For local government leaders responsible for skills and employment strategies, the reversal provides stability in the vocational training landscape. It ensures that expertise and support for apprenticeship frameworks, T-levels and adult education remain UK-based, protecting the infrastructure needed to help young people and adults transition into sustainable employment.