Founded on 11 November 1878 by the City of London and 16 livery companies to develop a national system of technical education, the institute has been operating under royal charter, granted by Queen Victoria, since 1900.

The institute's president is the Princess Royal who accepted this role in June 2011 (following her father the Duke of Edinburgh, who held the position for nearly 60 years), and the Chair of Council is Dame Ann Limb, who took office in 2021.

The two main objectives were to create a Central Institution in London and to conduct a system of qualifying examinations in technical subjects.

Evening classes were offered at a school on Cowper Street, off City Road, enabling instruction in chemistry and physics to be provided to those who wished to continue their education after working during the day.

The school proved such a success that new premises had to be found in nearby Leonard Street, which was formally opened on 19 February 1893 as Finsbury Technical College.

The City and Guilds Institute maintains a link with the art school through its charitable grant support of projects delivering Widening Participation activity.

[2][3] Faced with their continuing inability to find a substantial site, the companies were eventually persuaded by the secretary of the Science and Art Department, General Sir John Donnelly (who was also a Royal Engineer) to found their institution on the 87-acre (350,000 m2) site at South Kensington bought by the 1851 Exhibition Commissioners (for £342,500) for 'purposes of art and science' in perpetuity.

In 2004, the National Proficiency Tests Council (NPTC) – specialists for agricultural land-based qualifications – became part of the City & Guilds Group.

In January 2010, all active candidates were transferred to City & Guilds courses to remove duplicate award provisions across the Group.

The charitable aims of the City and Guilds of London Institute are: "Providing internationally recognised qualifications, awards, assessments and support for individuals and organisations in the United Kingdom and overseas across a wide range of occupations in industry, commerce, the public services and elsewhere.

[9] The range of vocational qualifications covers areas such as engineering technician, arts and craft, tradesman, health and social care, hairdressing, automotive maintenance, construction, and catering, but also more obscure subjects such as sheep shearing, DJing, flower arranging, and even door supervision (bouncer).

These qualifications consist of outcomes competencies-based units, covering core, specialised, and key technical and management areas, which are assessed by means of examinations and written assignments.

[16] Higher Professional Diplomas (HPD) were a suite of awards at level 4 of the RQF for people who want to gain advanced technical skills and broader management knowledge.

[24][25] Fellowship (FCGI) is the highest honour conferred by the Council of the City and Guilds of London Institute to recognise outstanding professional and personal achievement.

Fellows are leaders of industry, education & academia or government & public sector who have achieved remarkable success in their respective fields.

Generally, they hold senior roles such as CEOs, board members or specialist employees or consultants at the national or international level.