The Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers and Top 50 SME Apprenticeship Employers tables for 2025 looked at the best apprenticeship programmes over the past 12 months.
Pub and bar group Mitchells & Butlers, which operates a number of brands including All Bar One, Castle Pubs, O’Neill’s, Nicholson’s an Miller & Carter, was named the country’s number one apprenticeship employer for 2025.
Mitchells & Butlers group HR director Susan Martindale said: “We are incredibly honoured to be recognised as the UK’s number one apprenticeship employer for 2025.
Valuable skills
“At Mitchells & Butlers, our apprentices aren’t just part of our business – they are the future of our business.
“Through our apprenticeship programmes, we’ve created pathways for people to earn while they learn, gaining valuable skills and confidence that benefit them throughout their hospitality careers.
“Our commitment to developing talent at all levels has created a thriving culture where skills and potential can flourish. This recognition reflects the dedication of our entire team in creating meaningful career opportunities across our brands."
Whitbread, which runs Premier Inn, Brewers Fayre, Beefeater and more, placed eighth on the top 100 list, meanwhile Suffolk-based pub operator and brewer Greene King came in at number 18.
Other companies that featured in the table included Mcdonald’s, Amazon, John Lewis, GXO Logistics and the Department for Work and Pensions.
The Department for Education partnered with RateMyApprenticeship to deliver the Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers 2025 rankings.
Outstanding programmes
Employers were ranked based on their overall commitment to employing apprentices, the diversity of their apprentices, whether their apprentices achieve and for the first time in 2025 - the apprentices’ own feedback on their employer’s programme.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said: “Congratulations to all the employers recognised for their outstanding apprenticeship programmes.
“They are delivering the skilled workforce we need to deliver our number one mission to grow the economy, and breaking down barriers for young people across the country.
“For the first time, the voices of apprentices themselves were front and centre in showcasing where employers are raising the bar in quality and experience.
“These rankings are a testament to what can be achieved when businesses invest in people, and the transformative power of apprenticeships in delivering our Plan for Change.”
