For the second year running, we have been named a Sunday Times Top 100 Apprenticeship Employer – national recognition of the learners, managers, mentors and partners who make development part of everyday life across our organisation.
We placed 50th in the 2026 rankings, following our first appearance at number 31 in 2025. While our position has changed, being recognised among the UK’s leading apprenticeship employers for a second consecutive year remains a significant achievement.
We are also proud to remain among the three highest-ranked private health and social care organisations in the list.
This national ranking represents hundreds of colleagues choosing to stretch themselves, build new skills and take the next step in their careers – often while continuing to deliver thoughtful, person-led support every day.
A second year of recognition, built by people
The Sunday Times Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers celebrates organisations that demonstrate a meaningful commitment to apprenticeships. The rankings are independently researched and compiled by High Fliers Research, considering factors such as apprenticeship opportunities, the diversity of learners and successful completions.
When ivolve entered the rankings for the first time in 2025, we were proud to place 31st overall and become the third highest-ranked private sector employer in health and social care.
Returning for a second consecutive year shows that apprenticeships are not a one-off initiative or a short-term ambition. They have become a growing part of how we help colleagues build confidence, gain recognised qualifications and imagine what their future at ivolve could look like.
Behind every number is a personal story.
It might be a Support Worker gaining their first formal care qualification, a Team Leader strengthening the skills they use to guide others or an experienced manager returning to learning after many years away from the classroom.
Each journey is different. What connects them is the decision to keep growing and the support of the people around them who help make that growth possible.
During 2025, 287 colleagues started an apprenticeship with ivolve. Of those, 286 were existing colleagues and one was a new recruit.
"Apprenticeships are not a one-off initiative. They have become a growing part of how we help colleagues build confidence and gain recognised qualifications"
Thomas Corbett
Leadership and Qualifications Manager
The numbers behind our apprenticeship achievement
That balance tells an important story. Apprenticeships at ivolve are not only a route into employment; they are also a way for people already making a difference in social care to keep progressing.
They create space for colleagues to turn practical experience into formal knowledge, deepen their professional confidence and prepare for new responsibilities.
Across England, 131 colleagues began an apprenticeship during the year, while 156 started in Wales. The programmes covered a broad range of qualification levels:
- 127 colleagues started a Level 2 apprenticeship
- 112 started at Level 3
- 17 began their Level 4
- 25 started at Level 5
- 2 began a Level 6
- 4 started a Level 7 qualification
Together, those figures show the breadth of our development offer. There are opportunities for colleagues taking an early step in their career, as well as those developing advanced leadership and professional expertise.
Just as importantly, 195 apprentices successfully completed their programmes during 2025 – 82 in England and 113 in Wales.
Each completion represents months of learning, reflection, assignments, practical assessments and perseverance. It also represents the encouragement of managers, mentors, assessors, training partners and teammates who helped learners protect time, overcome challenges and keep moving forward.
A certificate may mark the end of the programme, but its real value is seen in what comes next: greater confidence, new ideas, stronger leadership and knowledge that can be brought back into the support we provide.
Learning and opportunity at every stage of life
Being recognised as a Sunday Times Top 100 Apprenticeship Employer also reflects the range of people accessing development at ivolve.
Of the 287 colleagues who began an apprenticeship in 2025, 250 were aged 25 or over. A further 36 were aged between 19 and 24, and one was aged between 16 and 18.
These figures are a powerful reminder that learning does not have an expiry date.
Career development is not reserved for people at the beginning of their working lives. It can begin again at 25, 35, 45 or beyond – whenever someone is ready to build on their experience and take another step.
Our 2025 intake included 162 women and 125 men. In the submitted data, 108 apprentices were recorded as being from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds. Four were recorded as having learning difficulties or disabilities, including mental health conditions or neurodiversity.
We know that access to learning must be meaningful, flexible and inclusive. That means recognising that colleagues bring different experiences, responsibilities, strengths and support needs to their programmes.
It also means continuing to listen, learn and remove barriers wherever we can.
When people feel that development is genuinely open to them, qualifications can become more than something printed on paper. They can bring a renewed sense of belief: the feeling that there is somewhere to go next, and that someone believes you can get there.
"This gives colleagues who may not usually be able to access these qualifications the opportunity to invest in their own development."
Thomas Corbett
Leadership and Qualifications Manager
Opening doors from Level 2 to Level 7
For Thomas Corbett, Leadership and Qualifications Manager at ivolve, the recognition reflects both the scale of the programme and the ambition behind it.
He said, “Apprenticeships are a big part of our development strategy at ivolve. Since 2023, we have enrolled more than 500 colleagues onto apprenticeships, ranging from Level 2 to Level 7 qualifications. The scope and depth of this is huge, and we only intend to grow it further.”
He continued, “We want a workforce that is proud to hold its qualifications, and at ivolve we open the door for that to happen. Alongside our apprenticeship offer, we have also enrolled 148 colleagues onto diploma-only routes, helping ensure our development pathway is open to all. This gives colleagues who may not usually be able to access these qualifications the opportunity to invest in their own development.”
This capture something that matters deeply to us: there should be more than one route forward.
For some colleagues, an apprenticeship offers the right combination of structured study and learning through their role. For others, a diploma-only pathway may provide a more suitable way to gain a qualification.
By building different routes, we can help more people find an opportunity that works for them rather than expecting every learner to fit the same mould.
Why apprenticeships matter in social care
Social care is built on human connection, but it is also a skilled and evolving profession. Colleagues need empathy and patience alongside knowledge, judgement, leadership and the confidence to respond to complex situations thoughtfully.
Apprenticeships help connect these different elements. Learning can be explored in the context of real experiences and then brought back into everyday practice.
A new idea from a workshop can shape a team conversation. A leadership module can help a manager approach a challenge differently. A deeper understanding of care and support can strengthen the way a colleague helps someone make choices, build independence or feel safe and settled at home.
That is why becoming a Sunday Times Top 100 Apprenticeship Employer matters beyond our Learning and Development team. Investing in colleagues helps strengthen the support around each person. As knowledge grows, so can confidence, consistency and the ability to create meaningful outcomes with the people we support.
It also helps challenge the outdated idea that a role in care is simply “a job”. Social care can be the beginning of a long, skilled and rewarding career, with routes into specialist practice, team leadership, management and senior operational roles.
The colleague beginning a Level 2 qualification today may become the mentor who encourages another learner tomorrow.
That ripple effect is how a culture of development grows: one conversation, one opportunity and one moment of belief at a time.
Continuing to grow together
Being named a Sunday Times Top 100 Apprenticeship Employer for a second year is a milestone, but it is not the finish line.
We want to keep widening access to development, strengthening the experience of our learners and creating clear pathways that help colleagues see what is possible.
We will continue learning from apprentices, managers and partners so our programmes reflect the skills our teams need and the ambitions our colleagues hold.
Most importantly, we will keep opening doors. Because behind every apprenticeship is a person choosing to believe in their potential. Behind every completion is a story of persistence. And behind every newly gained skill is the opportunity to make an even greater difference in the lives of the people we support.
This success is shared, and the next chapter is already being written.
A Job That Makes a Difference
A role at ivolve is more than just a job, you’ll help change people’s lives. Want to grow your career at a company that takes your development seriously? Join ivolve today.