Industrial Society, earlier the Boys' Welfare Society and the Industrial Welfare...

The collection includes a large series of subject "archive" files including papers on Jubilee celebrations, 1921-1978; the "I'm Backing Britain" campaign, 1967-1979; the Peter Runge House Appeal, 1970-1975; Duke of Edinburgh Study Conferences, 1966-1980; the Royal Charter, 1967-1986; papers relating to the proposed closure of the British Rail Engineering Workshops in Swindon, 1984-1986; Industrial Society Overseas visits, 1964-1984, South African visits, 1972-1983; correspondence and papers for various campaigns and events, 1965-1986.

Other papers in the collection include correspondence with individual members and officials, 1925-1985; training course prospectuses and programmes, 1920-1984; historical papers, 1918-1981; "history box files" including annual and other reports and various publications and pamphlets, 1918-1988; press-cuttings, 1918-1988; and journals, 'Industrial Welfare', 'Industrial Welfare and Personnel Management', 'Industrial Society'.

Most of the collection was arranged by the Industrial Society, and original references have been retained where they are known.

The Boys' Welfare Society was founded in 1918 by the Reverend Robert Hyde. In 1919 it became the Industrial Welfare Society, and in 1965 the Industrial Society. In April 2002 it adopted a new business model and became the Work Foundation. The Society's principal activities were in the field of personnel management. In particular it conducted many training courses and produced a wide variety of publications. In doing so it endeavoured to avoid a partisan or anti-union approach.

The Society's workforce training business and associated publications were sold to the Capita Group Plc in 2009.