The Restore Trust

What The Restore Trust does

The Restore Trust is a not-for-profit social enterprise headquartered in Horfield, Bristol, serving socially excluded individuals across the South West of England. Founded in 2009, it delivers employability advice, skills training, qualifications and confidence-building support to people facing barriers to work — including those affected by homelessness, mental health problems, substance dependency and offending behaviour — with a particular focus on ex-offenders transitioning back into the community. Its core training portfolio consists of Online Courses, Construction (CSCS) certification, and Teaching Assistant programmes, delivered through in-person support at its Bristol site and through partner locations; there is no proprietary technology platform disclosed beyond a standard website and social channels.

The business model is grant and contract-driven rather than fee-based. Revenue flows from partnerships with public-sector commissioners and intermediaries — HMPPS (Her Majesty's Prison and Probation Service), the National Careers Service, and the West of England Combined Authority (WECA) — together with food-infrastructure support from FareShare and an affiliated charity (The Key Bristol) established by founder and CEO Suzanne Thompson. Services are provided free to eligible clients; no pricing is disclosed and there is no evidence of commercial monetisation, venture or private-equity ownership, or a parent entity. Marketing is conducted via organic social channels (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn) and a newsletter.

Operationally, The Restore Trust is a small, single-site organisation with 11–50 employees, dependent on a limited set of institutional partners for both referrals and funding. Its defensibility rests on relational and referral networks with government and community organisations rather than on technology, scale, or proprietary IP.

Name

The Restore Trust

Legal name

The Restore Trust

Website

https://therestoretrust.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Restore Trust is a Bristol-based not-for-profit social enterprise, founded in 2009, that delivers employability advice, skills training and accredited qualifications (Online Courses, Construction CSCS, Teaching Assistant) to socially excluded individuals and ex-offenders across the South West of England, funded through government and community partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Employability & Social Enterprise Training Services

NAICS

Vocational Rehabilitation Services (62431), Educational Support Services (6117)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Workforce Reentry Programs (Justice-Involved) (EDAAAOAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Reentry, Rehabilitation & Reintegration Programs (Education, Vocational, Case Management) (BPAKANAH), Reentry & Justice-Involved Support Services (BPAGAEAN), Alternative Education & Dropout Prevention / Re-Engagement Programs (EDANAJAF)

Keywords

• Employability training services
• Social enterprise
• Skills training
• Ex-offender rehabilitation
• Employment support

Headquarters

HQ city

Bristol

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Social Enterprise Services: Not-for-profit social enterprise providing employability support, training, and skills development services. Revenue appears to derive from partnerships with government bodies (HMPPS, National Careers Service, WECA) rather than direct client fees. Services are provided free to clients experiencing barriers to employment.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Restore Trust provides employability advice, skills training, and qualifications to socially excluded individuals in South West England. Its core deliverable is a portfolio of three training programmes—Online Courses, Construction CSCS certification, and Teaching Assistant training—combined with one-on-one employability guidance, interview coaching, and confidence-building support. Services are delivered free of charge to clients experiencing barriers such as homelessness, mental health issues, substance dependency, and offending behaviour, funded through statutory and charitable partnerships.

Product overview

The Restore Trust offers a unified portfolio of employment-focused training services targeting socially excluded individuals in the South West. The core offerings consist of Online Courses (general e-learning for skills and qualifications), Construction (CSCS) training (industry-specific certification), and Teaching Assistant programs. These services are designed to help individuals with barriers to employment—including those experiencing homelessness, mental health issues, substance dependency, and offending behaviour—gain the skills, qualifications, and confidence needed to obtain employment.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Online Courses E-learning courses provided to help socially excluded individuals gain skills and qualifications for employment.
• Construction (CSCS) Construction industry training and CSCS certification to help individuals obtain cards for working on construction sites.
• Teaching Assistant Training program to qualify individuals as teaching assistants in educational settings.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• West of England Combined Authority (WECA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWECA partnership supports regional economic development initiatives. The organization works with WECA as a key partner in providing employment and skills services in the South West region.
• National Careers ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with the National Careers Service provides career guidance and employment support services to clients, connecting individuals with professional careers advice and job search assistance.
• HMPPS (Her Majesty's Prison and Probation Service)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHMPPS partnership enables The Restore Trust to support ex-offenders and individuals leaving prison with rehabilitation services, skills training, and employment support to reduce reoffending.
• FareShareminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFareShare partnership connects the organization with food distribution networks that may support clients experiencing homelessness or food insecurity alongside employment services.
• The Key Bristol (Charity/CAFE)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliated charity/cafe supporting rehabilitation of individuals leaving prison. Founder Suzanne Thompson established The Key Bristol to support ex-offender rehabilitation and reduce reoffending.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Sova: UK charity providing mentoring and employability support to people in prison and on release. Directly comparable target population and reentry support model.
• The Forward Trust: UK charity providing rehabilitation, employability, and resettlement services for people in recovery and those leaving prison. Closely comparable reentry and workforce reintegration focus.
• Shaw Trust: Large UK charity delivering employability, skills training, and reentry support for disadvantaged groups including ex-offenders. Directly comparable in mission and core services, though operating nationally at significantly greater scale.
• Working Chance: UK charity supporting people with criminal convictions into employment through employer engagement and tailored coaching. Directly comparable conviction-to-employment pathway.

Broad incumbents

• Novus (LTE Group): Provider of education, training, and employability services in UK prisons and the community. Comparable prison-based training and qualification delivery model.
• Ingeus: Major UK welfare-to-work and employability provider delivering government-commissioned employment programs. Overlapping customer base (barriers-to-work populations) and referral-driven model.
• Catch22: National social business delivering employability, justice, and education services including prison-leaver employment programs. Comparable justice-to-employment pathway at much larger scale.

Emerging players

• Key4Life: UK charity focused on preventing youth reoffending through mentoring and employability training. Similar target population (young ex-offenders) at smaller, more specialized scale.
• User Voice: UK charity bringing lived-experience voice into criminal justice policy and delivery. Adjacent in the reentry ecosystem though more advocacy- and research-focused.

Others

• Howard League for Penal Reform: UK penal reform charity working on criminal justice policy and reentry outcomes. Adjacent in mission rather than direct service delivery, providing sector context and policy advocacy.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/therestoretrust
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-restore-trust/about
• Facebookfacebook.com/TheRestoreTrust

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Restore Trust