PeopleCert announces the acquisition of City & Guilds’ commercial awarding and skills training activities
London, United Kingdom – 16 October 2025
PeopleCert, a global leader in the certification of professional and language skills, today announced that it has reached an agreement to acquire the commercial awarding organisation and skills training activities of City & Guilds London Institute (CGLI).
As part of the proposed acquisition, all of City & Guilds’ awarding, assessment, and training businesses will transfer to PeopleCert. This includes the City & Guilds Training, Gen2, Intertrain, ILM, and The Oxford Group brands.
PeopleCert will also assume ownership of City & Guilds’ landmark Giltspur House headquarters in London, its training and assessment site in Cumbria, as well as its minority shareholdings in early-stage companies.
This acquisition represents another milestone in PeopleCert’s strategy to build global, iconic brands, following the successful integrations of ITIL®, PRINCE2®, DEVOPS INSTITUTE®, and LANGUAGECERT® (originating from City & Guilds’ former English language business).
The transaction adds approximately £160 million (c. €185 million / c. $215 million), in annual revenue, positioning the combined entity within the £300 million (c. €350 million / c. $400 million) range, and introduces a complementary yet independent line of business with a stable and diversified revenue stream. It will be financed through a combination of €150 million (c.£130 million, c.$175 million), in funding from Eurobank and existing company cash reserves.
Following this acquisition, PeopleCert will now focus on refinancing its capital structure, including its outstanding bond maturing in September 2026, as part of its broader strategy to strengthen financial flexibility and support long-term growth
City & Guilds will continue its proud legacy under PeopleCert’s stewardship, strengthened by new investment, global reach, and advanced technology infrastructure that will ensure it remains a pillar of vocational and professional excellence. The acquisition also extends PeopleCert’s AI-driven capabilities across City & Guilds’ apprenticeship and assessment services.
By uniting City & Guilds’ heritage and deep expertise in skills development with PeopleCert’s global reach, digital innovation, and AI leadership, this acquisition creates a powerhouse for lifelong learning – getting a new standard for professional and vocational excellence worldwide.
All necessary regulatory and other approvals have been obtained, and the transaction is expected to close by the end of October 2025.
Dame Ann Limb, Chair of CGLI, said:
“Almost 150 years ago, the City & Guilds of London Institute broke the mould by creating an organisation, together with City of London livery companies, that served the skills and employment needs of the Second Industrial Revolution.
In the age of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, this landmark transaction marks the start of another bold new era, securing, in a single move, CGLI’s s long term financial future at the same time as enabling significant investment in the commercial awarding and skills businesses.
In PeopleCert, the Trustees have secured an organisation with a similar educational vision and values, current regulatory experience and approval in assessment and certification, underpinned by a strong track record of successful delivery in people and technology.
As Trustees take steps over the next few weeks to conclude the sale, I should like to thank the Board for its strong governance, unwavering hard work, and steadfast upholding of the charitable purposes and achievements of CGLI and all its employees throughout the last thirty months of careful negotiation.
My deep gratitude goes to CGLI’s greatest asset – our employees. Their continued passion and commitment will ensure City & Guilds awards, skills training and The City & Guilds Foundation, will not only endure but continue to flourish by forging innovative philanthropic ways of working together to fund a prosperous future for skills and to create greater societal impact and long-term systems change.”
Byron Nicolaides, Founder and CEO of PeopleCert, said:
“We’re delighted to welcome City & Guilds as we begin an exciting new chapter of growth and unlock even more potential together.
By investing in City & Guilds’ products, platforms and people, we’ll deliver even greater impact. We’re especially pleased to join forces with their talented employees and senior leadership team as we shape the future together.
Our thanks go to Dame Ann and the Board of Trustees for their outstanding governance. We look forward to developing a strong and trail blazing relationship with The City & Guilds Foundation as, together, we continue to promote the transformative power of skills.”
Kirstie Donnelly MBE, CEO of City & Guilds, said:
“This is a defining moment in the history of the CGLI, enshrining a legacy for the charity with the funding needed to reach more people than ever before.
For the commercial businesses, it brings the freedom to compete, the investment to innovate, and the market access to scale in the UK and internationally – alongside a parent organisation that shares the City & Guilds values and ambition.
I am incredibly honoured to be leading the next phase of commercial growth personally as City & Guilds aims to triple its reach to meet the global demand for skills.”
Notes to editors:
The City & Guilds of London Institute trading as City & Guilds is a trusted global skills partner, delivering a wide range of vocational and technical qualifications, and recognised worldwide as the benchmark of quality in training and assessment. Since 1878, CGLI has created life-changing opportunities for people to progress, supported businesses to grow and driven wider social and economic impact - contributing over £15bn to UK society in 2024-25 alone. Working with 1,500+ employers, the organisation delivers skills training and credentials through thousands of colleges and providers globally.
The City & Guilds Foundation was established in 2015 within the CGLI to promote CGLI’s charitable purposes through high-impact social investment, funding employer recognition awards and advocacy programmes, and maintaining stewardship of the CGLI Fellowship programme. Over the last decade, its initiatives have included those that breakdown barriers to employment, celebrate excellence in the workplace and champion the jobs of the future.
PeopleCert, founded in 2000, is a global leader in the education and assessment industry. Its portfolio includes brands such as, ITIL for IT Operations and Digital Transformation, PRINCE2 for Project, Programme and Portfolio Management, DevOps Institute for DevOps and IT, LanguageCert for English language, Lean Six Sigma, Scrum, Data Science and other professional qualifications. We deliver our portfolio across 200+ countries to millions of people, as well as to 50,000 corporations (82% of the Fortune 500) and 800 government organisations in 50 countries. Delivery is through an extensive network of 2,500 partners, more than 3,000 recognising institutions, and our award-winning, proprietary online invigilation platform. In July 2021, PeopleCert achieved “unicorn status” with the acquisition of AXELOS, bringing the company's valuation to over $1 billion, which has significantly increased since.
For further information please contact us at investor.relations@peoplecert.org