Supplier Awards 2026: Community Campaign of the Year – Umbrella Training

For more than a decade, Umbrella Training has combined impactful apprenticeships with strong community engagement, helping to build careers and a more inclusive workforce, making it a very worthy winner of this year’s Community Campaign of the Year award.

In the past 12 months, the training and apprenticeship provider has embedded itself further into its communities, delivering social mobility initiatives – sometimes unfunded – across London and Kent.

Its partnership with London food redistribution charity the Felix Project has supported three commis chef apprentices from disadvantaged backgrounds into long-term roles within the charity. Alongside this, its work with grassroots organisation the London Community Kitchen has allowed it to deliver the Taste of Culinary Skills Bootcamp, a funded, employer-led initiative designed to support unemployed or economically inactive Londoners into foundational kitchen roles. 

Through funds raised at last year’s Purple Umbrella Awards, which recognise individuals making a meaningful contribution to the sector, it provided 2,175 meals to Londoners through its work with the Felix Project, demonstrating how industry networks can directly address food insecurity.

In addition, its outreach arm, Umbrella Employ, reached more than 2,300 students, teachers and parents through schools and community-based activity. The programme provides careers information, advice and guidance that challenges outdated perceptions of hospitality and inspires the next generation to consider the sector. It also delivered 24 personalised career coaching sessions at no cost to participants, helping individuals identify sustainable employment and apprenticeship pathways. As a result, 12 people moved into employment or apprenticeships.

While its social action work is highly impactful, Umbrella Training is equally focused on elevating women within the industry. With fewer than 30% of hospitality leadership roles currently held by women, it is committed to developing female talent and widening representation at leadership level. In 2024, it launched a Women in Leadership programme with pub operator Marston’s in an aim to support Marston’s ambition to achieve a 50% gender balance at senior level. Within six months of its launch, 25% of participants were identified as promotion-ready, 31% were promoted during or shortly after completion of the course, and 100% reported satisfaction with programme.

This organisation’s impact has been widely recognised, including twice receiving the Princess Royal Training Awards, an invitation to the King’s Garden Party and winning the Supplier Excellence Award at the 2025 Foodservice Cateys.

By combining outstanding apprenticeship outcomes with deep community impact, Umbrella Training sets a powerful benchmark for the sector. As one judge said: “Umbrella Training is doing the hard yards to ensure the future of the industry is in safe hands.”

Judges’ comments

“Umbrella Training has shown significant commitment to the sector. Its work creating partnerships with the Felix Project and empowering the current generation of female leaders highlight the impact it is having in our communities. I look forward to seeing it scale in the coming years.” 

Joe Elgar, partnerships manager, Zero Carbon Forum

“Umbrella Training is clearly playing to its strengths in offering training to support new talent into the sector. It’s also great to hear about the work it is doing to close the gender gap with Marston’s.” 

Oliver Rosevear, director of sustainability, Fuller, Smith & Turner

The shortlist

• Foster
• Hobart
• Umbrella Training
• United