Skills Bootcamps: How Umbrella Training is reimagining the future of London’s kitchen talent

London’s hospitality sector has never lacked ambition, but in recent years it has faced an increasingly familiar set of challenges from recruitment shortages, a widening skills gap and mounting pressure on kitchen teams already stretched thin.

While many operators focus on short-term fixes, Umbrella Training has taken a different route, one that looks beyond the immediate pressures to address the deeper question of how the industry attracts, nurtures and retains its people.

With new funding secured from the Greater London Authority (GLA), Umbrella Training has now launched two new Skills Bootcamps that look to provide further opportunities for London’s talent landscape.

The programmes, ‘Beyond the Pass’ and ‘Taste of Culinary’, form a dual pathway that supports both ends of the career ladder.

Beyond the Pass

For experienced those already working in London’s restaurants and hotels, ‘Beyond the Pass’ offers an eight-week, 72-hour guided learning journey designed not just to sharpen technical ability, but to grow the leadership qualities that modern kitchens increasingly demand. The project has been co-created in partnership with some of the industry’s most respected employers, among them the Clermont, the Goring, Soho House, Green & Fortune and Strand Palace Hotel, as well as with the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts and the Felix Project. This collaborative design means the programme responds directly to real-world pressures and allows employers to shape the chefs they want to see leading the next generation.

Participants will train through a blend of online modules, in-person workshops and on-the-job practice, ensuring that new knowledge can be applied instantly in their current roles. While operational skills such as shift planning, digital kitchen systems and allergen compliance form part of the curriculum, the programme goes further by addressing areas that many chefs benefit from in their careers: supporting team mental health, effective communication under pressure, and leading diverse brigades with empathy and confidence. For a sector where many chefs rise to leadership through talent rather than formal management training, the impact of this kind of development could be significant.

Taste of Culinary

‘Taste of Culinary’ is a fully funded pathway designed to open the door to hospitality for unemployed or economically inactive Londoners. If ‘Beyond the Pass’ is about progression, this programme is about entry, but with the same level of thought, structure and employer input. The eight-week course introduces learners to the foundations of kitchen work: knife skills, mise-en-place, sauces, pastry, meat and fish preparation, and allergen control. Training takes place in professional environments under the guidance of experienced chefs, helping individuals build the confidence and competence they need to secure their first role.

Crucially, ‘Taste of Culinary’ doesn’t end when the training does. Each participant receives support with CV writing, interview preparation and workplace behaviours, alongside one-to-one career advice to ensure they feel ready for the transition into employment. Learners also receive a guaranteed interview with a London employer paying at least the London Living Wage, with apprenticeship opportunities available for those who want to continue building their career beyond the programme. In a time when entry routes into the industry can be inconsistent or inaccessible, this structured pathway represents a meaningful investment in the future workforce.

What connects these two programmes is a shared philosophy: that the hospitality industry thrives when opportunity is available at every level, and when people, not just technical skills, are placed at the centre.

For Umbrella Training’s Founder and chief executive Adele Oxberry, it is about working together to create meaningful programmes and skillsets. She says: “These programmes are designed to complement each other, one helping new talent take their first step into hospitality, and the other helping experienced professionals progress into leadership. It’s about creating opportunities, building confidence, and supporting the community so the industry can continue building a stronger and more inclusive future”.

As both ‘Beyond the Pass’ and ‘Taste of Culinary’ prepare to welcome their first cohorts in the coming months, the programmes signal a renewed commitment to developing talent in a way that reflects the reality of the modern kitchen. By combining employer-led design, practical learning, community support and a clear route into, and through, the industry Umbrella Training is creating a model that responds not just to today’s challenges, but to hospitality’s long-term need for successful, well-supported and professionals ready for the future.

For more information on the Skills Bootcamps programmes with Umbrella Training, visit www.umbrellatraining.co.uk