City & Guilds is UKsucStoriess oldest and largest awarding body, the only one dedicated solely to vocational learning. The organisation has over 130 years of experience in developing and administering assessments leading to vocational qualifications.

City & Guilds has played a fundamental role in establishing and shaping vocational education and training both in the UK and internationally. The work of City & Guilds provides the foundations which underpin the modern system of vocational education including, but not limited to

• preparing qualification curriculum in vocational subjects
• establishing occupational standards
• designing assessments to measure the ability of learners
• developing effective systems for exam administration and quality assurance
• educational research

Today, City & Guilds assesses over two million learners a year and operates a network of around 9,000 approved training providers (called centres). 5,000 of these providers are based in the UK, while 3,500 centres are located outside the UK.

City & GuildssucStories UK portfolio covers 500 different subject areas across 28 industry sectors. City & Guilds has also developed an international portfolio comprising 80 qualifications which cover around 15 main industries.

City & Guilds is recognised by the Office of the Qualifications and Examinations Regulator (Ofqual) as an awarding body and therefore allowed to submit qualifications for accreditation on the National Qualifications Frameworks of England, Wales and Northern Ireland (NQF) as well as the recently established Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF). City & Guilds was the first organisation to obtain full accreditation as an awarding body allowed to operate all aspects of the QCF.

In Scotland, City & Guilds is recognised by the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) Partnership as a Credit Rating Body (CRB) and, as such, approved to credit rate its own learning provision. Previously, only universities, colleges and the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) had the authority to credit rate qualifications in Scotland.

Internationally, City & Guilds works with a number of governments to embed City & Guilds international qualifications into the national education system and/or curriculum. The global standards that City & Guilds has developed help countries to create a flexible and mobile workforce, suitably qualified to succeed even in today's challenging economic climate.

In 2008, City & Guilds was the first UK awarding body to launch the Euro pass Certificate Supplements for its qualifications and currently, in 2010, is still the only UK awarding body offering them.

City & GuildssucStories International portfolio includes qualifications in following areas:

• Automotive Engineering
• Agriculture
• Business, IT and Employment Skills
• Construction and Engineering Technology
• Creative and Media
• Education and Training
• Health Care
• Security and Spectator Safety
• Hospitality and Catering
• Beauty Therapy and Hair Dressing
• Leadership and Management
• Tourism