A new league table rating the top apprenticeship employers is to be developed, it has been announced.

The new leaderboard, and quality mark, to be developed by the Department for Education, was announced by education secretary Damian Hinds today, on the first day of National Apprenticeship Week. It will highlight those employers helping to lead “the apprenticeship revolution’, and will be independently judged and published annually.

They are expected to rate the top 100 large apprentice employers as well as the top 50 small and medium sized enterprises, while a new quality mark for apprenticeships - developed in partnership with Investors in People - will highlight high-quality apprentice employers.

More on this: ‘Employers should reserve places for minority apprentices’

Background: DfE: No need to axe Institute for Apprenticeships

Read more: National Apprenticeship Week 2019: Need to know

Identifying opportunities

According to the DfE, the new leaderboard will recognise and promote outstanding apprentice employers, encourage employers to improve the quality of their apprentice offer, and help potential apprentices and parents to easily identify opportunities with high performing employers.

Mr Hinds said:  “We’ve transformed apprenticeships in this country. But that wouldn’t have been possible without the employers who have been at the forefront of developing new high- quality apprenticeship opportunities that provide great training, and the employers who have embraced the huge benefits apprenticeships are bringing to their workplaces.

“This National Apprenticeship Week, I want to celebrate their contribution - giving thousands of people of all ages and backgrounds the opportunity to learn new skills and secure an exciting career.”

Mark Dawe, chief executive of the Association of Employment and Learning Providers, said: “It’s really great that the levy has brought large employers into apprenticeships who haven’t been involved before and National Apprenticeship Week should be celebrating their commitment.  However we would like an equal focus on the SMEs who have been the bedrock of the programme over the last two decades.  They are the ones who have consistently been making a positive impact on social mobility by offering fantastic apprenticeship opportunities at all levels of the programme.”