A hundred of the country’s leading apprentice employers were honoured at The Skills Show in Birmingham last night at the launch of the second Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers list.
The list, compiled by the National Apprenticeship Service in partnership with City & Guilds, recognises excellence in businesses that employ apprentices. Employers honoured range from large organisations such as Rolls Royce, BT, MBDA Missile Systems and Kwik-Fit to SMEs such as John Cliff Building Services (Shropshire), TEC Group International Recruitment (Surrey), Dale & Valley Homes (Durham) and Berthon Boat Company (Hampshire).
More than a quarter of employers who made it to the list in 2011, also feature this year too. This includes companies such as Staffordshire County Council, Royal Navy, Ford Motor Company, EDF Energy and Doncaster City Council.
David Way, Chief Executive of the National Apprenticeship Service, congratulated the employers on their successes: “The breadth and depth of employers on our Top 100 list just goes to show the huge impact Apprenticeships have on companies of all sizes and the wider UK economy. Apprenticeships are the country’s gold standard for vocational training. As part of the new era for Apprenticeships we are introducing measures to ensure there has never been a better time for employers to hire apprentices.
“With more Higher level Apprenticeships (up to degree level), rigorous new standards for all Apprenticeships and new financial incentives for small firms who hire their first apprentices, employers can be confident that Apprenticeships will deliver for them.”
Commenting on its entry in the Top 100 Apprenticeship Employer’s list, James Harding, Managing Director of TEC Group, a recruitment staffing business to the global oil and gas engineering sector said: “We only started our Apprenticeship programme a year ago, but are really proud of how already TEC Group has created new employment in our community and the economy. The programme has also provided excellent career development for our existing employees, some of whom are now managing newly established teams that have evolved. Apprenticeships have given the company a youthful feel and an excellent return on our investment, and it’s great to be recognised in this year’s Top 100.”
Furthermore, Steve Wadey, Managing Director UK and Executive Group Director Technical at MBDA Missile Systems said: Apprenticeships are a long and strong tradition at MBDA and a key strand of our employee recruitment and development strategy. The investment we make in our apprentices is often rewarded by the recognition they have garnered regionally and nationally. That the company likewise is being identified as one amongst a select group of employers, is a further welcome accolade and one that we are keen to sustain year on year.”
Meanwhile, CEO and Director General of City & Guilds, Chris Jones, said: “At City & Guilds, we’re all about helping people and organisations develop their skills for growth. Apprenticeships are integral to helping us achieve this; they develop the workforce of tomorrow, whilst giving people the skills they need to succeed in employment. To be named a Top 100 Apprenticeship Employer is a sign of excellence and these companies should feel incredibly proud of what they’ve achieved. I hope that other employers will be inspired by their success to discover the benefits Apprenticeships can offer.”
The Top 100 (in alphabetical order)
1. A M Blatch Electrical Contractor Ltd
2. AgustaWestland
3. Alan Hair Designs
4. Amey
5. Astrium Limited
6. AWE PLC
7. BAM Nuttall Ltd
8. Barclays Bank PLC
9. Barlows UK Ltd
10. Barratt Developments PLC
11. Belgrade Theatre
12. Bentley Motors Ltd
13. Berthon Boat Company Ltd
14. Blue Flame (Cornwall) Ltd
15. Britplas
16. BT
17. Caffyns plc
18. Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
19. Caterpillar (UK) Limited
20. Caterpillar Peterlee Ltd
21. Coleman Bradshaw
22. Cooper and Taylor Hair and Beauty
23. Coreco
24. Coventry City Council
25. Cumbria County Council
26. DAF Trucks
27. Dale & Valley Homes
28. Dale Power Solutions plc
29. Damovo UK Limited
30. David Youll Hair and Beauty
31. Doncaster Council
32. EDF Energy, Nuclear Generation
33. elements
34. FCO Services
35. Fennies Under 5s
36. Finmeccanica
37. Finning UK Ltd
38. Ford Motor Company Ltd
39. Forth Engineering Ltd – Cumbria
40. Gelder Group
41. Goodteeth Dental Surgeries Ltd
42. Harwin plc
43. Hays Travel
44. Hendra Healthcare Ludlow Ltd
45. Hycrome (Europe) Ltd
46. IBM UK Limited
47. Imperial Commercials Ltd
48. Jessup Build Develop
49. John Cliff Building Services
50. Josephs Hair Team
51. KFC (GB) LTD
52. Kwik-Fit GB Ltd (Training Academy)
53. Love Food Ltd
54. MAN Truck & Bus UK Ltd
55. Matthews Brand Solutions UK
56. MBDA Missile Systems
57. Messier Bugatti Dowty MRO
58. Morleys Stores Ltd.
59. Neopost Limited
60. NHS Norfolk & Waveney
61. North Somerset Council
62. North York Moors National Park Authority
63. Northumberland County Council
64. Pailton Engineering
65. Pearson Engineering Services
66. Pendennis Shipyard
67. Persona HR Ltd
68. Plumbs Ltd
69. Power Logistics
70. Puffins of Exeter Ltd
71. Railcare Ltd
72. Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council
73. Resource Productions Ltd
74. Rolls-Royce
75. Royal Navy
76. Sanctuary Group
77. Sembcorp Utilities (UK) Limited
78. Serco UK & Europe
79. SH & EM Electronics Ltd
80. Siemens plc
81. Somerset Centre for Integrated Learning
82. Spicerhaart
83. Staffordshire County Council
84. Stockport Council
85. Tata Steel Europe
86. Tata Steel
87. TEC Group International Recruitment Ltd.
88. The Chartwell Practice
89. The Cornwall Foundation of Promise (Fifteen Cornwall)
90. The Style Guru
91. Tideswell Surgery
92. TMJ Interiors
93. TW Plumbing & Heating
94. Uden Sales & Lettings
95. Unilever UK
96. University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust
97. Vertical Systems
98. WM Housing Group
99. Wm Morrison Supermarkets Plc
100. Yorkshire Ambulance Service
