City & Guilds Foundation and Offploy partner to Upskill the Voluntary Sector

Offploy is delighted to announce a new partnership with the City & Guilds Foundation to provide over 200 professionals in the voluntary sector with scholarships to industry-leading training on supporting people with criminal convictions.

Approximately one in four working-age adults in the UK holds a criminal record. For organisations working on the frontline with socially excluded communities, having the right skills and confidence to support people with convictions can make all the difference. This partnership brings together two organisations committed to ensuring that happens.

Two organisations, one mission

This collaboration builds on an existing relationship between Offploy and the City & Guilds Foundation. Offploy is a proud recipient of the Princess Royal Training Awards, managed by the Foundation, which recognise our commitment to colleague upskilling and training excellence.

That shared commitment to quality has deepened with this partnership. The City & Guilds Foundation has funded City & Guilds Assured accreditation for Offploy's training provision, confirming it meets rigorous educational standards. This robust framework guarantees organisations plan, design, and deliver their learning programmes to world-class standards.

The training itself has also received endorsement from the Institute for Employment Professionals (IEP) and CPD certification, providing voluntary sector organisations with confidence in its quality and relevance.

Turning proven practice into accessible training

Offploy's training approach is built on real-world experience. Having supported over 4,000 people with convictions into sustainable employment, we've developed deep expertise in what works and what doesn't when supporting this community.

We took that knowledge and condensed it into two practical resources: the R3 e-learning course and the Disclosure Toolkit. These tools are designed specifically for mentors, support workers, and anyone working with socially excluded people who need practical guidance on supporting those with criminal records.

What makes this training distinctive is its lived-experience approach. It doesn't just cover policy and procedure; it provides the fundamental skills, confidence, and understanding that frontline professionals need to make a genuine difference.

Empowering the people who make a difference

Through this partnership, the City & Guilds Foundation is funding scholarships for over 200 individuals working in voluntary and community sector organisations across the UK.

These scholarships will equip mentors and support workers with the tools they need to support people with convictions, helping them navigate disclosure effectively, understand employer concerns, and build confidence in their own abilities to create positive change.

Voices from the partnership

"The City & Guilds Foundation has long been a firm advocate for the education of people with criminal convictions. With this project, we will now be able to provide the skills, tools and confidence to the mentors who work tirelessly for socially excluded people." - Jacob Hill, Founder of Offploy

"We are proud to support Offploy in equipping professionals with the skills and confidence they need to make a lasting difference for people with convictions. By funding City & Guilds Assured accreditation and scholarships, we are helping ensure that frontline workers can deliver training of the highest quality and impact." - Polly Rowe, Head of Foundation Programmes and Engagement, City & Guilds Foundation

This partnership represents a significant step forward in building capacity across the voluntary sector to support one of the most marginalised groups in our communities. By investing in the professionals who do this vital work every day, we can create lasting change for people with convictions seeking to rebuild their lives.

Get involved

If you work for a VCSE organisation and would be interested in a scholarship, email support@disclosuretoolkit.org

For a free trial of the certificate course, visit our page here.