Listen to this story Members can listen to an AI-generated audio version of this article. 1.0x Audio narration uses an AI-generated voice. 0:00 0:00 Become a member to listen to this article Subscribe City & Guilds’ new private owner has put 75 roles at risk of redundancy. PeopleCert has today launched a formal consultation to restructure the awarding and training business, with around 6 per cent of its 1,250-strong workforce impacted. It follows a “detailed review” undertaken by City & Guilds’ senior leadership team and comes weeks after CEO Kirstie Donnelly and chief financial officer Abid Ismail were exited. The pair are now preparing legal action. The restructure proposals are intended to “simplify how the organisation operates, strengthen accountability and governance, reduce duplication and support continued investment in technology, operations, customer service and learner experience”, a PeopleCert statement said. “The proposals are also intended to create greater clarity in decision-making, improve quality and consistency, and enable teams to work more effectively together.” The statement added that there will be no disruption to any of our learners, including students currently working through their assessments, or to the delivery or quality of qualifications during this process – claiming that the changes are designed to further “strengthen and enhance the reliability and overall quality of qualifications and services provided to learners and partners”. PeopleCert bought City & Guilds’ awarding and commercial business from the 148-year-old charity in October for around £166 million. The sale is the subject of a live Charity Commission inquiry, with the regulator examining “trustees’ decision making” and large bonuses paid to senior executives after the transaction. PeopleCert itself has also launched its own probe into the conduct of top City & Guilds executives during the sale. Neither inquiry has reported yet. Months after the acquisition, PeopleCert drew up plans to cut City & Guilds’ workforce bill by around £19 million over the next 24 months. According to a presentation to investors the savings will be made from “personnel cost synergies”, with “optimisation” to be driven through “natural employee churn” – affecting hundreds of jobs. One third of the vacant roles would be made “redundant” due to “overlapping functions”, another third would be relocated to Greece where costs are “up to 50 per cent lower,” and the remaining third rehired in the UK, the presentation suggested. FE Week has requested the full consultation document that details which roles will be affected by today’s proposals, including how much savings PeopleCert expects to make. A statement to the press said: “The proposals are focused primarily on enabling functions, where duplication and inefficiency have been identified. Approximately 75 roles (6 per cent) are likely to be impacted by the proposals. “No final decisions have been made. The organisation is now entering a formal consultation process to gather feedback, consider alternative approaches and ensure all perspectives are reviewed before any outcomes are confirmed. “City & Guilds and PeopleCert remain focused on supporting learners, partners and employers, while continuing to modernise and strengthen long-term capability across the organisation. “We recognise this will be a difficult and uncertain time for colleagues whose roles may be impacted and are committed to handling the process with care, fairness and respect.” As well as the awarding business, City & Guilds runs three training providers – Gen2, Intertrain and Trade Skills 4U – which also transferred to PeopleCert but remain under the City & Guilds brand.
Anon 11 May 2026 The PeopleCert restructuring should be a wake-up call to every college, training provider, employer and government partner currently dependent on City & Guilds qualifications. This is no longer a quiet integration exercise. It is now a visible programme of cost reduction, operational consolidation and workforce restructuring driven by acquisition economics. Let’s be honest about the language: “synergies” “duplication” “lower-cost jurisdictions” “personnel optimisation” These are PR speak – investor-term drivel – not educational ones. Awarding organisations are not software companies or outsourced service centres. Their credibility depends on experienced people, stable governance, sector trust, technical expertise and long-term institutional relationships. Once that capability is dismantled, it is exceptionally difficult to rebuild. The contradiction is glaring: PeopleCert is simultaneously: reducing headcount, relocating functions, centralising operations, removing experienced personnel, while insisting quality and learner experience will somehow improve. No serious awarding professional believes major organisational upheaval strengthens operational resilience in the short term. What also needs to be said clearly is this: This is no longer truly “City & Guilds” in the form the sector historically understood it. The original charitable institution sold its awarding and commercial operations. What now operates under the City & Guilds name is a privately owned commercial business controlled by PeopleCert. Continuing to trade so heavily on the historic City & Guilds identity risks creating confusion across the market — particularly among learners, centres, employers and international governments who may still believe they are dealing with the historic charitable institution rather than a private acquisition vehicle pursuing commercial restructuring and cost optimisation. That distinction matters. Because reputational damage created through aggressive restructuring, operational decline or loss of sector trust does not just affect the commercial entity — it risks damaging the legacy and public reputation of the original charity itself. The sector should also be deeply concerned that this is unfolding while: the Charity Commission inquiry remains active, investigations into executive conduct continue, and former senior leadership are reportedly preparing legal action. At some point the question stops being “Is City & Guilds changing?” and becomes: “Will this still be the same organisation in three years?” Centres, governments and employers would be wise to start reviewing alternative awarding arrangements now — not when service delays, qualification reform disruption, operational failures or relationship breakdowns begin to emerge. Contingency planning is no longer pessimism. It is prudent governance.