Case Study: City & Guilds achieves higher learner engagement and retention with Totara Learn

City & Guilds use an innovative blended learning model to reach vocational audience

City & Guilds is a UK vocational education organisation offering 500+ qualifications through 8,500 colleges and training providers in 81 countries. Facing pressure to improve learner engagement, retention and achievement—particularly in the Food & Drink sector where mixed‑ability cohorts and 16–24-year-old digital‑native learners are often disengaged—City & Guilds needed a scalable, modern approach to help training providers move from traditional delivery to digital.

The City & Guilds Way pilot delivered an integrated, technology‑led learner experience: the All Things Food & Drink portal (built with Totara Learn and Drupal), personalised learning routemaps, a gamification layer (points, badges, challenges), community features and 40+ short e‑learning resources. Early results were strong—tutors reported markedly higher engagement, 100% of tutors saw the portal as a credible careers resource, 87% of learners rated the e‑learning good or very good, 75% of challenged learners increased effort, and over half of learners said they were more motivated and more likely to complete their course.

City and Guilds

Kirstie Donnelly

Director of Product Development