FUNDERS & SUPPORTERS
FUNDERS
We are very grateful to Savoy Educational Trust, IHG Hotels & Resorts, Leonardo, HIT Hospitality Training and the Innholders Charitable Trust for their kind funding and sponsorship contributions to Hospitality Connect, without which we would not be able to grow the project in the UK. Their support, guidance and collaboration have been instrumental as we expand and develop the Hospitality Connect project model.
Savoy Educational Trust is an independent grant-giving charitable organisation focused on the advancement and development of education, training, and qualifications within the UK hospitality industry. SET have kindly funded Hospitality Connect since 2023. We are grateful to both the team and trustees for their generous support and guidance, without which we could not have grown the project outside of Manchester.
HIT Hospitality Training UK started sponsoring Hospitality Connect in 2026. A specialist apprenticeship and training provider for the UK's hospitality, catering, and retail industries, HIT Training offers a comprehensive career pathway of hospitality and catering apprenticeships, enhancing customer experience, attracting top talent, and fostering employee loyalty. The provider connects businesses with motivated, job-ready candidates through a national network, helping to find the right people quickly and support long-term success.
The Innholders Charitable Foundation is the charity of the historic Worshipful Company of Innholders, a livery company of the City of London. The Innholders Charitable Foundation makes awards every year to support current and past members of the hospitality industry and to promote excellence in the sector. The Innholders Charitable Foundation is proud to support the next generation of hospitality talent via Hospitality Connect's industry and schools partnership programme
IHG Hotels & Resorts started sponsoring Hospitality Connect in 2026. Built on a strong global presence, IHG has more than one million rooms across 7,000 hotels in over 100 countries, offering a wide range of brands and career pathways within hospitality. With a focus on developing talent and creating inclusive opportunities, IHG provides apprenticeships and entry-level roles designed to help people start and grow their careers in the industry.
To support skills development and employability, IHG also offers free online learning through the IHG Skills Builder platform, a virtual learning portal with over 250 courses covering hospitality, employability and future skills, accessible to anyone from any device.
Leonardo started sponsoring Hospitality Connect in 2026. Built on decades of hotelier expertise, Leonardo Hotels operates over 290 hotels across the UK and Europe, including 57 in the UK & Ireland. With a strong focus on career development and continuous learning, they offer a wide range of graduate opportunities and apprenticeships, making it a great place to start and grow a career in hospitality.
SUPPORTERS
The following organisations have also supported and collaborated with us since the initial project conception in 2021.
We are very grateful to each of them for their insights and guidance as we continue the Hospitality Connect mission to open doors and change perceptions.
UK Hospitality is the leading trade body for all hospitality businesses in the United Kingdom. They have supported Hospitality Connect since its conception and generously hosted the project’s first web page here.
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Springboard have been facilitating activities in UK schools since 1999. Their activities include Future Chef, summer schools and hotel takeovers. Springboard and Hospitality Connect work together in regions, to align projects and offer schools additional activities and resources.
Food Teachers Centre has been a long term supporter of Hospitality Connect from conception in Manchester in 2021, to the present day. Connectivity with the network of food teachers has been invaluable, with generous guidance on curriculum matters and areas for industry support.
City & Guilds have supported Hospitality Connect in Manchester since 2021. Jason Benn, Industry Manager developed the pilot project with Adrian Ellis and gave expert guidance on curriculum matters, apprenticeship pathways and the need to close the gap between industry and education.
Careers & Enterprise Company is the national body for careers education in England and supports Careers Hubs across the country working directly with schools, colleges and employers to drive and improve standards of careers education locally. Hospitality Connect works collaboratively with careers hub teams in England to launch the regional initiatives.
Inspired Community Group CIC trains dedicated volunteers from diverse industries and connect young people with the motivation, guidance, and insight to unlock their potential. This organisation kindly supports Hospitality Connect by offering additional training to ambassadors to raise confidence of young employees to positively promote the sector within educational settings.
The Royal Academy of Culinary Arts (RACA) is the UK’s leading professional membership association of head chefs, head pastry chefs, restaurant managers and suppliers (associates) providing education, inspiration, and aspiration through a variety of channels including the RACA apprenticeship programme, our Annual Awards of Excellence, the Adopt a School charity, and our four-yearly Master of Culinary Arts competition.
RACA supports young people, colleges, and educational institutions by providing unrivalled programmes and apprenticeships through its extensive network of academician members and industry contacts while raising the standards and awareness of food, food provenance and sustainability, cooking, and service.