Entry FAQs

What is The Sunday Times Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers?
The Sunday Times Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers is the prestigious annual ranking of the UK’s leading apprenticeship employers. Developed originally in 2020, the rankings are researched and compiled by High Fliers Research, on behalf of The Sunday Times.

How will employers be assessed for the 2026 rankings?
Employers provide details of the total number of apprentices currently employed, the number of new apprenticeship starts in the past year, the diversity of these new apprentices, and the number of apprentices who successfully completed an apprenticeship during 2025. This data will be used to calculate the rankings for The Sunday Times Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers.

Are the rankings based on reviews by apprentices?
No, The Sunday Times Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers is entirely data-driven, using information supplied by apprenticeship employers that enter for the rankings, which is independently checked and verified.

Who is supporting The Sunday Times Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers in 2026?
The official sponsor of the Top 100 in 2026 is BPP – and the rankings are supported by the Association of Apprentices, Association of Employment & Learning Providers (AELP), The Careers & Enterprise Company, and The 5% Club.

What are the minimum entry requirements for employers?
Top 100 entries are open to all apprenticeship employers with 100 or more employees in the UK, including at least 10 apprentices currently on apprenticeships in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland.

How can we submit our entry for the Top 100 in 2026?
Entries for the 2026 rankings are now open and the entry deadline is 5pm on Friday 20th March. Entries should be submitted using the official entry form on the Top 100 website.

Should I submit a separate entry for each part of my organisation?
Only one entry is allowed per employer. A subsidiary company may apply on behalf of the parent group, but this then excludes the parent group from applying. More than one subsidiary of the parent group may enter, as long as the entry references only the apprenticeship programme that is delivered wholly by that subsidiary.

What is the cost of entering for the Top 100?
The entry fee for 2026 is £495+VAT, which includes processing, checking and verification of the entry; full individual entry feedback and benchmarking with other entrants; 5 complimentary annual digital subscriptions to The Times & Sunday Times; plus free places at an exclusive programme of apprenticeship workshops later in the year.

What happens after I have submitted my entry?
Every employer entering for the rankings will take part in follow-up data checks by telephone or email to confirm and verify the information provided. Each entry is then independently assessed, scored, and weighted according to the size of the employer's UK workforce. The one hundred employers with the highest scores will form The Sunday Times Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers for 2026.

When will the follow-up data check by email or telephone take place?
After your entry has been submitted, you will be contacted by a researcher for your follow-up data check. This may include a telephone interview which will typically take place within 2-4 weeks of your original entry. It is a requirement of entry that employers agree to take part in the data check by telephone or email.

What happens during the telephone interview?
You will speak to a researcher and the interview will include a short discussion about the data that you provided in your entry. This will usually last 10-15 minutes.

How will the new rankings be launched?
The new rankings will appear in a 16-page Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers supplement in The Sunday Times in the summer of 2026, on a Top 100 microsite on The Sunday Times website, and be featured in a specially-produced TV programme showcasing the new Top 100 to apprenticeship employers, apprentices, schools & sixth form college.

How can I watch the launch TV programme?
Links to watch the TV programme will automatically be sent to all employers that have entered for the 2026 rankings.

Will there be opportunities to advertise in The Sunday Times?
Yes, advertising will be available in the special 16-page Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers supplement and on the Top 100 microsite on The Sunday Times website. Full details of this will be available shortly.

Will the data I submit in my entry remain confidential?
Information supplied in entries that are ranked in The Sunday Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers may be published in The Sunday Times or featured during the TV programme that announces the new rankings, and in subsequent associated publicity. Commercially sensitive information will not be shared.

How can we celebrate being ranked in the Top 100 in 2026?
Each employer ranked in the new Top 100 will receive an individual media pack with graphics for use on social media, online and in apprenticeship promotions. In addition, licences will be available from The Sunday Times for employers who wish to use The Sunday Times logo on their promotions.

When will I receive feedback on my entry?
Following the launch of the new rankings, every employer entering for The Sunday Times Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers will receive full feedback on their entry, benchmarking their apprenticeship programmes with other entrants, and will be ranked within their own industry or employment sector.

How do I access my complimentary digital subscriptions to The Times & Sunday Times?
Each employer entry for The Sunday Times Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers includes 5 annual digital subscriptions to The Times & Sunday Times. Full details of how to activate your subscriptions will be sent by The Sunday Times once your entry for the Top 100 has been received.

What are the Top 100 apprenticeship workshops?
Employers entering for The Sunday Times Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers will be invited to an exclusive programme of apprenticeship workshops, hosted by BPP during autumn 2026 at different locations around the UK.