Published: 26/06/2026
Busy Bees has secured a place in the top five of The Sunday Times Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers 2026 for the second consecutive year, cementing its position as one of the country’s leading employers for developing the next generation of early years educators.
The prestigious ranking sees Busy Bees retain its title as the UK’s number one early years apprenticeship employer for the second year running, surpassing 11 other early years providers to secure its spot. Outshining organisations across a wide range of sectors, Busy Bees is also the highest-ranked apprenticeship employer outside of the defence sector.
With over 357 nurseries across the UK and around 1,100 apprentices currently in training, Busy Bees continues to invest in the future of early years education, with plans to actively recruit 500 new apprentices nationwide this year.
The Sunday Times Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers 2026 places Busy Bees among the nation’s elite employers, recognised for their outstanding work in nurturing apprentices, driving inclusion and delivering meaningful career pathways.
Emma Langford, European People Director at Busy Bees, said: “Our apprentices are at the heart of everything we do. Retaining our position in the top five and the number one early years apprenticeship employer reflects the dedication of our colleagues who support, mentor and develop our future talent pipeline.
“The demand for high quality early years education continues to grow and our apprentices are playing a vital role in supporting future workforce growth, addressing skills shortages and strengthening the sector. We are immensely proud to be leading the way in developing driven and ambitious educators who are committed to making a meaningful difference to children’s lives.”
Apprentice roles are available at Busy Bees’ centres nationwide, offering candidates the opportunity to work towards a Level 2, 3 or 5 apprenticeship. Successful applicants will also have the chance to be a part of teaching Busy Bees’ Bee Curious curriculum, the UK’s only independently evaluated early years curriculum which has been designed to feed children’s natural curiosity and foster a lifelong love of learning.
Rajwinder Mand recently achieved her Level 2 and Level 3 in Childcare. Despite facing challenges including English not being her first language, Rajwinder persevered with determination.
Rajwinder is now an Early Years Practitioner at Busy Bees Leamington Spa Queensway. She said: “I am incredibly proud to have completed my Level 2 and Level 3 with Busy Bees, all whilst working 30 hours a week, raising three children and studying in a language that is not my first.
“Working in early years is a truly rewarding career. Seeing the children learn and grow bring so much joy every day. Every day is different and you have the opportunity to make such a positive and lasting difference to children’s lives.”
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