Degree & Higher Apprenticeships: my 2025 employer list (final update on 31st March)

FINAL UPDATE AT 17.00 ON 31/3/2025

During the period between 1st September 2024 and 31st March 2025 the following employers opened their application windows for degree, professional or higher apprenticeship positions that commence in (or around) September 2025 and that are or could be relevant to school and college leavers in England and Wales at 18+. The list includes everything I’ve picked up on my radar at Levels 4, 5, 6 or 7 and is broken down broadly by occupational area.

Unlike the UCAS process, opening and closing dates for apprenticeships are variable. Hence closing dates for many of these positions have already been reached, while numerous others are still open and more will also come on stream during April and beyond. Once employers have closed for applications, I still keep them on the list because my objective has been to create an overview of recruiters offering opportunities this year.

I think one of the useful benefits of the list is the picture it presents of the range of occupations that are realistically available at present and the relative volume and types of employers offering opportunities within these different occupations. However, it’s important to emphasise that some of the listed employers only offer one vacancy in one location, while some have multiple vacancies in one location, some have one vacancy in multiple locations and some have multiple vacancies in multiple locations. For example, the Law sector is one in which many of the firms on the list only offer one or two vacancies in one or two locations, although there are exceptions. In contrast, a few of the big names in fields like engineering, construction & surveying, finance & professional services, digital technology, and business & project management will have substantial numbers of vacancies across a range of roles and locations.

Here’s the list as it stood at the end of March:

Accountancy / Audit / Tax / Professional Services – Affinia, Albert Goodman, Amazon, Armstrong Watson, Audit Wales, Azets, BAE Systems, Bakkavor, BDO, Beazley, Bishop Fleming, Blick Rothenberg, BMW Group, Buzzacott, Cooper Parry, Crowe, Deloitte, E.ON, EY, FCF, Fortus North, Forvis Mazars, Goodman Jones, Grant Thornton, Grunberg & Co, Hamlyns, Hazlewoods, James Cowper Kreston, JP Morgan, KPMG, Lloyds Banking Group, MBDA, Menzies, Mercer & Hole, MHA Baker Tilly, Moore Kingston Smith, Morrisons Supermarkets, National Audit Office, Pearson May, PEM, PKF Francis Clark, PM+M, PwC, Rawlinson & Hunter, Rolls-Royce, RSM, RPG, Saffery, Samsung, Shell International, Siemens, Tarmac, Thames Water, Transport for London, TUI, UBS, Unilever, Wellden Turnbull, Westcotts, Zenopa
Actuarial Technician – Aviva, Isio, Lloyds Banking Group, WTW, Zurich
Air Traffic Control – RAF
Air Transport Operations – British Army
Arboriculturist – National Highways, South Staffordshire District Council, WSP
Architectural Assistant / Design & Construction / Design & Build – Arcadis, Arup, AtkinsRealis, Barratt Redrow, Berkeley Group, EPR Architects, Kier Group, Laing O‘Rourke, Levitt Bernstein Associates, PlanBEE, RG Carter, Tilbury Douglas, United Living Group, Vistry Homes, Wessex Water, WSP
Asset Management – Yorkshire Water
Banking / Investment / Financial Services – AJ Bell, Aon, Bank of America, Bank of England, Barclays, BlackRock Investment Management, BNP Paribas, Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs, HSBC, Isio, JP Morgan, Lloyds Banking Group, M&G, Morgan Stanley, Nationwide, Schroders, Standard Chartered Bank, UBS
Biomedical Scientist – Sonic Healthcare
Broadcasting Operations (Production, Post-Production or Engineering) – BBC, Bloomberg, Channel 4, Sky
Building Services Design & Engineering / Building Energy Management / Construction Management / Site Supervisor – Amey, Arcadis, Arup, Aspire Defence Services, AtkinsRealis, Atomic Weapons Establishment, BakerHicks, Balfour Beatty, BAM Construct, Barratt Redrow, BCS Data Centres, Bellway Homes, Berkeley Group, Breedon Group, Briggs & Forrester Group, Brinson Staniland Partnership, Bryden Wood, CBS Consultants, Chapmanbdsp, Collins Construction, Cundall, Dalkia Engineering, Dome Project Management, Foreign Commonwealth & Development Office Services, HDR Consulting, Higgins Group, Hoare Lea, Introba, Kier Group, Laing O‘Rourke, Lloret, Mace, McLaughlin & Harvey, Morgan Sindall, Mott MacDonald, Mulholland Building Services, MZA Consulting Engineers, Network Rail, NG Bailey, PGR Construction, Red Tree Building Contractors, Renaker Build, RG Carter, Ridge & Partners, Ringway Infrastructure Services, Russell WBHO, Schneider Electric, Skanska, Stepnell, Tarmac, Tetra Tech, Thames Water, Tilbury Douglas, Transport for London, Troup Bywaters + Anders, UKRI Science & Technology Facilities Council, United Living Group, VINCI Building, VINCI Facilities, Vistry Group, Waterman Building Services, Wates / SES Engineering Services, Watsons Building Services, Whitecode Consulting, William Hare, WSP
Business Analyst – Aviva, Bank of England, CGI, Channel 4, Chaucer Underwriting Services, Cummins, DHL Supply Chain, Essex County Council, Financial Conduct Authority, FSP, GKN Aerospace, London Stock Exchange Group, M&G, Met Office, Shell International, Telent, Thales, Thames Water, Transport for London, United Utilities, VINCI Building, Virgin Media O2, WTW
Business Management / Operations Management – Airbus, Amazon, Babcock International, BBC, BMW Group, BP, BT Group, British Airways, Capgemini, Caterpillar, Constellation Automotive Group, Dalkia Facilities, DHL Supply Chain, DS Smith, FCC Recycling, GRB, Greencore Foods, Howdens, Inpress Precision, JCB, JLES Group, Laing O‘Rourke, Leonardo, Lloyd’s of London, L’Oreal, MBDA, Morrisons Supermarkets, OFWAT, Procter & Gamble, Ricoh UK Products, Rolls-Royce, Shell International, Siemens, Tarmac, Teledyne, Thales, Thornton & Ross, Transport for Greater Manchester, Transport for London, Unilever, Visa, WSH, Zenopa
Buying & Merchandising (Retail) – Dunelm, Marks & Spencer
Chartered Building Surveyor – Arcadis, AtkinsRealis, Cushman & Wakefield, Durham County Council, Gateley Smithers Purslow, Ingleton Wood, Portsmouth City Council, Ridge & Partners
Chartered Quantity Surveyor / QS Technician – ADM Surveyors, AG Surveying, Amey, Arcadis, AtkinsRealis, Avove Utilities, BakerHicks, Balfour Beatty, BAM Construct, BAM Nuttall, Barratt Redrow, BCS Data Centres, Berkeley Group, Borra Construction, Capula, CBRE, Concept Building Services, Cushman & Wakefield, Dalkia Engineering, Dome Project Management, EDF Energy, Equals Consulting, George Corderoy & Co, Hanson Quarry Products, Harvey Frost, Hill Group, HS2, Huntley Cartwright, J N Bentley, Kier Group, Kilnbridge Construction, Laing O‘Rourke, Mace, MAG-7, Mascot Management, McLaughlin & Harvey, Milestone Infrastructure, Monaghans, Morgan Sindall, Mott MacDonald, National Gas, National Grid, Quantik, RG Carter, Ridge & Partners, Ringway Infrastructure Services, Russell WBHO, Scottish Power, 7 Formation, Seddon Construction, Skanska, Stantec, Statom Group, Stepnell, Tarmac, Taylor Woodrow Infrastructure, Tetra Tech, Thames & Newcastle, Thames Water, The Clancy Group, Tilbury Douglas, Transport for London, United Living Group, United Utilities, Veolia, VINCI Building, VINCI Facilities, Vistry Group, Ward Williams Associates, Wates / SES Engineering Services, Welsh Apprenticeship Alliance, WSP
Chartered Rural Surveyor – Dalcour Maclaren, FGP Surveyors, NG Bailey
Chartered Surveyor (Real Estate / Land / Project Management / General Practice) – Arcadis, AtkinsRealis, Balfour Beatty, Blue Coast Capital Properties, CB3 Consulting, CBRE, Cushman & Wakefield, Dome Project Management, Environment Agency, Fisher German, Iconic Project Management, Interlinked, Jacobs, Mace, Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundatiuon, MK2 Real Estate, Montagu Evans, Mott MacDonald, National Grid, Newmark Group, Parkinson Real Estate, Roche Chartered Surveyors, Savills, Transport for London, Valuation Office Agency
Chemical/Process Engineering – GSK, Mondelez International, Unilever
Civil Engineering – Amey, Arcadis, Arup, AtkinsRealis, Avove Utilities, BakerHicks, Balfour Beatty, BAM Nuttall, Bellway Homes, Buro Happold, Development Design Solutions, Durham County Council, EDF Energy, Gateley Smithers Purslow, GCA, Jacobs, Hydrock Consultants, JBA Consulting, JPG (Leeds), J N Bentley, Keystone Lintels, Kier Group, Kilnbridge Construction, Laing O’Rourke, Lark Cooper, Mayer Brown, McLaughlin & Harvey, Milestone Infrastructure, Millward Consulting Engineers, Mott MacDonald, Natta Building Company, Network Rail, Nuttall Bowser, Paul Basham Associates, Ramboll UK, RG Carter, Ridge & Partners, Ringway Infrastructure Services, Severn Trent, Skanska, Stantec, Statom Group, Swann Engineering Group, Taylor Woodrow Infrastructure, Tetra Tech, Tilbury Douglas, Transport for London, VINCI Building, Walder Sharp, Waterman Infrastructure & Environment, Waterman Structures, Welsh Apprenticeship Alliance, Wessex Water, West Sussex County Council, WSP
Clinical Trials Specialist – GSK, Pfizer
Consulting – Accenture, Deloitte, EY, IBM, PwC, RSM, WTW
Corporate Responsibility & Sustainability Practitioner – Arup, Balfour Beatty, Channel 4, JBA Consulting, Laing O‘Rourke, Network Rail, Pfizer, Stellantis, Taylor Woodrow Infrastructure, Wates / SES Engineering Services
Countryside Ranger – National Trust (opens 5/25), United Utilities
Creative Digital Design – BPW Design, Ideagen, Sale Sharks RFC, UKRI Science & Technology Facilities Council, Unilever
Cybernetics & Robotics – UK Atomic Energy Authority
Cyber Security – Amazon, Anglo American, Babcock International, BAE Systems, BT Group, CGI, Computacenter, Defence Equipment & Support, DHL Supply Chain, EDF Energy, INEOS Inovyn, Leonardo, Lloyds Banking Group, Mercedes-AMG, Microsoft, National Grid, North Tower Consulting, Siemens, Softcat, Thales, Thames Water, The Co-operative Bank, Transport for London, UKRI Science & Technology Facilities Council, Unilever, Vodafone
Data Analyst / Data Scientist / Data Engineer – Accenture, Babcock International, BAE Systems, Balfour Beatty, Bank of America, Bank of England, BBC, BMW Group, BP, British Airways, Caterpillar, Channel 4, Computacenter, Dalkia Facilities, Datagum, DHL Supply Chain, Dunelm, E.ON, Financial Conduct Authority, GRB, GSK, Hitachi Rail, INEOS Inovyn, Jaguar Land Rover, KPMG, Lloyds Banking Group, London Stock Exchange Group, M&G, Morgan Stanley, Morson Talent, Motability Operations, National Grid, National Trust (opens 5/25), Nationwide, Nestlé, PA Consulting, Pfizer, Phoenix Group, Schneider Electric, Shell International, SSE, Tarmac, Thales, Thames Water, Unilever, United Living Group, United Utilities, Veolia, Virgin Media O2, Vodafone, WSP, WTW
Data Protection – DHL Supply Chain, OCU Group
Digital Technology (incl Software Developer/Tester/Engineer, Network Engineer, IT Consultant, DevOps) – Accenture, Airbus, Amazon, ARM, Arup, AtkinsRealis, Babcock International, BAE Systems, Bakkavor, Bank of America, Bank of England, Barclays, Beazley, Bentley Motors, Bishop Stopford School, BMW Group, BNP Paribas, BP, British Army, BT Group, CACI Information Intelligence Group, Capgemini, Capula, CGI, Chaucer Underwriting Services, Cheshire Datasystems, Compliance 365, Computacenter, Cranswick Country Foods, Defence Equipment & Support, Deutsche Bank, DHL Supply Chain, DVSA, Dyson Institute (sponsored degree), East Norfolk Multi Academy Trust, Edwards, E.ON, Experian, EY, Ford Motor Company, FSP, Goldman Sachs, Grant Thornton, GRB, IBM, ITI Group, Jaguar Land Rover, JBA Consulting, JP Morgan, Kinspeed, KPMG, Leonardo, Leyland Trucks, Lloyds Banking Group, MBDA, Mercedes-AMG, Met Office, Microsoft, MI5 & MI6, Morgan Stanley, Motability Operations, Nestlé, Network Rail, Nokia, North Tower Consulting, PA Consulting, Race Technology, Radapex, Ricoh UK Products, Royal & Sun Alliance, Rolls-Royce, SAP Innovations, Schneider Electric, Sellafield, Siemens, Sky, Smith Institute, Softcat, SolutionsPT, Synoptix, Tarmac, technologywithin, Thames Water, Transport for London, UBS, UK Atomic Energy Authority, UKRI Science & Technology Facilities Council, Unilever, Vodafone, Wessex Water, William Hare, WSP, WTW, Yokogawa, Yunex Traffic
Economics (Professional Economist) – Arup, Bank of England, Government Economic Service, Metro Dynamics, OFWAT, Oxford Economics, Thames Water
Engineering (Aeronautical, Automotive, Control, Design & Development, Electrical, Electronic, Electromechanical, Manufacturing, Mechanical, NDT) – ACS Aviation Industries, Actemium Automation, Airbus, Alstom Transport, Amazon, Arup, A-SAFE Group, ASMPT, AstraZeneca, AtkinsRealis, Atlas Elektronik, Atomic Weapons Establishment, Avire, Babcock International, BAE Systems, Balfour Beatty, Bentley Motors, BMW Group, BP, Bright Technologies, Bristol Airport, Capula, Caterpillar, Cavendish Engineers, Ceres Power, Collins Aerospace, Cummins, Defence Equipment & Support, DPW, Dutypoint Systems, Dyson Institute (sponsored degree), Eaton Mission Systems, E.ON, Fairfield Control Systems, Ford Motor Company, Fortescue Zero, GE Aerospace, GKN Aerospace, Glenair UK, Gooch & Housego, GSK, Honeywell Aerospace, Horiba Mira, Inspec Solutions, ITI Group, Jaguar Land Rover, JCB, John Crane UK, Kohler Mira, L3 Harris, Leonardo, Leviat, Leyland Trucks, Lloyd’s Register, MBDA, McLaren Automotive, Mec Com, Mercedes-AMG, Mondelez International, Morgan Sindall, MRN Engineering, National Air Traffic Services, National Crime Agency, National Energy System Operator, National Grid, Natures Aid, Northern Powergrid, Oxford Instruments, Pall Europe, PCE Automation, Penny & Giles Controls, PF Concept, Plessey Semiconductors, Plumis, Portakabin, Porvair Filtration Group, Quantum Motion Technologies, Race Technology, Responsive Engineering, Rolls-Royce, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars (BMW Group), Schneider Electric, Siemens, Siemens Healthcare, Siemens Healthineers, Silicone Engineering, Sonifex, SPS Technologies, SSE, Stantec, Stellantis, Superior Seals, Syspal, Teledyne, Thales, Thames Water, Thornton & Ross, Tilbury Douglas, Transport for London, Tribosonics, Turbine Surface Technologies, UK Atomic Energy Authority, Ultra Nuclear, University of Nottingham, University of Warwick. Warburtons, Warwick Manufacturing Group, WSP
Environmental Practitioner – Arcadis, AtkinsRealis, Balfour Beatty, CBRE, Cranswick Country Foods, JBA Consulting, Mace, MOD Submarine Delivery Agency, Mott MacDonald, Skanska, Tetra Tech, Thames Water, Transport for London, Troup Bywaters + Anders, United Utilities, WSP
Facilities/Safety Management – Airbus, Atomic Weapons Establishment, BAE Systems, Balfour Beatty, BMW Group, CBRE
Fire Safety Engineering – Arup, Balfour Beatty, Design Fire Consultants, OFR Consultants, WSP
Food Technology, Production & Manufacture / Brewing / Dairy Technology – Arla Foods, Avara Foods, Bakkavor, Cranswick Country Foods, Greencore Foods, Heineken, Molson Coors, Mondelez International, Morrisons Supermarkets, Müller, Samworth Brothers, Unilever
Forestry – Savills
Geoscientist – AtkinsRealis, Geotechnics, Hydrock Consultants, RSK Geosciences
Geospatial Mapping Specialist – FGP Surveyors, Transport for London
Geotechnical Engineer – Network Rail
Governance Officer – Avega UK
Healthcare Science Associate (Medical Engineering) – Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
Heritage & Historic Environment Adviser – North Kesteven District Council
HR / People Professional – Amazon, BAE Systems, Balfour Beatty, BP, CBRE, EDF Energy, Lloyds Banking Group, Lloyd’s of London, National Grid, Transport for London, Vodafone
Insurance – Allianz Commercial, Aon, Aviva, Beazley, Financial Conduct Authority, Lloyd’s of London, WTW, Zurich
Intelligence Analyst – British Army, RAF, Royal Navy, West Midlands Police (ANPR)
Journalism – BBC
Laboratory Scientist / Process Scientist / Technician Scientist – AstraZeneca, Atomic Weapons Establishment, CSL Seqirus, Domainex, EDF Energy, Eisai Manufacturing, GSK, Lubrizol, Mondelez International / Reading Scientific Services, Pfizer, Procter & Gamble, Qiagen, Severn Trent, Tronox Pigment, UCB, Unilever, United Utilities, Wessex Water
Law (Solicitor/Paralegal) – Addleshaw Goddard, A&O Shearman, Ashurst, Attwells, Bates Wells, Bird & Bird, Blake Morgan, Broadfield, Burges Salmon, Charles Russell Speechlys, Clyde & Co, Co-op Legal Services, Cripps, Deloitte, Dentons, DLA Piper, DWF Law, Ellisons, Eversheds Sutherland, Farrer & Co, Fletchers, Fox Williams, Francis George, Freeths, Freshfields, Gotschal & Manges, Gowling WLG, Herbert Smith Freehills, HFW, Hogan Lovells, Howells Percival, Irwin Mitchell, Kennedys, Kew Law, Linklaters, Mayer Brown, Michelmores, Mills & Reeve, Minster Law, Mishcon de Reya, Nicholls & Nicholls, Norton Rose Fulbright, Osborne Clarke, Pinsent Masons, RPC, Shakespeare Martineau, Shoosmiths, Simmons & Simmons, Slaughter and May, Stephenson Harwood, TLT, Travers Smith, Trowers & Hamlins, VWV, Walton & Co, Watson Farley & Williams, Wedlake Bell, Weightmans, Weil, White & Case
Marketing / Digital Marketing – AG Products, Caterpillar, CBRE, Collins Aerospace, Delivered Social, East Norfolk Multi Academy Trust, E.ON, GRB, Leonardo, MAC Solutions, Microsoft, Nationwide, Nestlé, Pfizer, Rhotic Media, Samsung, Thornton & Ross, Unilever
Market Research – Markel International, UKRI Science & Technology Facilities Council
Materials Scientist – A-SAFE Group, Fosroc International, Ibstock, Thornton & Ross, UK Atomic Energy Authority
Medical Doctor – East Suffolk & North Essex NHS Foundation Trust (ESNEFT)
Midwifery – Sandwell & West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust
Mineral Products Technician / Quarry Management – Breedon Group, Hanson Quarry Products, Heidelberg Materials, Ibstock, Tarmac
Nuclear Engineering / Nuclear Technician – Actemium Design, AtkinsRealis, Atomic Weapons Establishment, Babcock International, BAE Systems, EDF Energy, MOD Submarine Delivery Agency, National Nuclear Laboratory, Nuclear Restoration Services, Office for Nuclear Regulation, Rolls-Royce, Sellafield
Nursing – Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
Ordnance Munitions & Explosives (OME) – BAE Systems, British Army
Packaging Professional – AstraZeneca, Kite Packaging, KM Packaging Services, Unilever
Police Constable (PCDA) / Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) – A number of police forces in England & Wales recruit Police Constable Degree Apprentices (PCDAs) at various times, and a few forces also offer PCSO higher apprenticeships. Do check specific police forces for details, as opening and closing dates will vary and may not correlate with the academic year calendar. The application and selection process is also likely to take several months or longer. To the best of my knowledge, the following forces were open for application or holding information events or inviting expressions of interest in February 2025: Avon & Somerset Police, Bedfordshire Police, Essex Police, Greater Manchester Police, Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary, Hertfordshire Police, Kent Police, Leicestershire Police, Merseyside Police, Metropolitan Police, Northumbria Police, South Yorkshire Police, Surrey Police, Sussex Police, Thames Valley Police, West Mercia Police, West Midlands Police, West Yorkshire Police. But do check the websites of individual police forces for definitive information and you may also be able to register for alerts with other forces who are not currently recruiting.
Podiatry – Zest Podiatry & Physio
Port Marine Operations Officer – Associated British Ports
Project Management / Information Management / Project Controls – Airbus, Amazon, Amey, Arcadis, Arup, AstraZeneca, AtkinsRealis, Atlas Elektronik, Atomic Weapons Establishment, Aviva, Avove Utilities, Babcock International, BAE Systems, Balfour Beatty, BBC, Bloomberg, BP, Capula, Chubb Fire & Security, Colas Rail, Collins Aerospace, Dalkia Engineering, Decision Analysis Services, Defence Equipment & Support, DHL Supply Chain, DLA Piper, E.ON, Essex County Council, Eurovia, Fignum, Financial Conduct Authority, GKN Aerospace, HS2, Jacobs, JBA Consulting, KBS Maritime, Kohler Mira, L3 Harris, Leonardo, Mace, MOD Submarine Delivery Agency, Morgan Sindall, National Gas, National Grid, National Trust (opens 5/25), Network Rail, Nokia, Pfizer, Portakabin, Ridge & Partners, Rolls-Royce, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars (BMW Group), Scottish Power, Sellafield, Severn Trent, Skanska, Telent, Tetra Tech, Thales, Thames Water, Transport for London, UK Atomic Energy Authority, Unilever, United Utilities, VINCI Facilities, Virgin Media O2, Wessex Water, WSP
Public Relations & Communications – Amey, Telent, Thornton & Ross, UCB, UK Atomic Energy Authority
Publishing Professional – Bloomsbury Publishing
Quality/Improvement Practitioner – Arcadis, Atomic Weapons Establishment, Babcock International, Bakkavor, Balfour Beatty, BEL Valves, CBRE, Collins Aerospace, Dalkia Engineering, EDF Energy, Edwards, Mace, Pfizer, Responsive Engineering, RMP Products, Thornton & Ross
Radiography (Therapeutic) – Southend University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Rail & Rail Systems Engineering – Amey, Arcadis, Arup, Govia Thameslink, Hitachi Rail, London Underground, Mott MacDonald, Network Rail, Siemens, Systra, Transport for London, WSP
Regulatory Compliance (Environmental Health) – North Kesteven District Council
Regulatory Compliance (Financial Risk) – Barclays s, Deloitte, EY
Resilience & Emergencies Professional – Yorkshire Water
Retail Management – Asda, Dunelm, Marks & Spencer
Sales Executive / Sales Professional – Amazon, Associated British Ports, Auto Trader, BAE Systems, Channel 4, Cisco, Coca Cola Europacific Partners, Experian, Henkel, JLES Group, Jungheinrich, Leonardo, Microsoft, Molson Coors, Mondelez International, Portakabin, Rhotic Media, Rolls-Royce, Samsung, SAP Innovations, Siemens, Unilever
Social Researcher – Government Social Research
Space Systems Engineering – Airbus, Babcock International
Sports Coach (Children & Young People) – Amesbury School Trust, Elite Youth Sports, New Horizon Gymnastics, PH ActiveEd
Supply Chain Management / Logistics / Commercial Buying & Procurement – Airbus, Alstom Transport, Amazon, AstraZeneca, Babcock International, BAE Systems, Bakkavor, Bentley Motors, BMW Group, Caterpillar, Coca Cola Europacific Partners, Cranswick Country Foods, CSL Seqirus, DHL Supply Chain, Ford Motor Company, GE Aerospace, Greencore Foods, GSK, GXO Logistics Services, Historic Royal Palaces, Jaguar Land Rover, Laing O‘Rourke, Leyland Trucks, Morrisons Supermarkets, National Grid, Rolls-Royce, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars (BMW Group), Schneider Electric, Siemens, Staci, Stellantis, Thornton & Ross, Transport for London, Yorkshire Housing
Town Planning – Arup, Dalcour Maclaren, Popham Planning Consultants, Savills
Transport Planning – Arcadis, Milestone Infrastructure
UX Design – AJ Bell, BBC

From a regional perspective the vacancies have been spread across almost all parts of England and Wales, with Greater London, the West Midlands, Greater Manchester, Bristol and Yorkshire (especially Leeds) being the most prominent areas. There has also been lots of activity in places like Derby, Cumbria (especially around Barrow and Whitehaven), Newcastle and Merseyside, while counties like Lancashire, Berkshire, Hampshire, Surrey and Cheshire have also been amongst the busiest, with Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire, Dorset and several other counties not far behind. Even the Isle of Wight has registered several vacancies and there’s been one in Rutland too. In Wales, activity in general is more spasmodic, but Cardiff has been reasonably prominent followed by Flintshire, Swansea and Newport, with occasional vacancies also occurring elsewhere.

While the level of interest in degree apprenticeships seems to be growing, there will never be enough vacancies to meet the potential demand. However, one more factor that’s important to take into account is that some Level 3 students who do progress to apprenticeships at 18+ will in effect move sideways and start on a Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship programme, rather than progressing directly on to Higher or Degree Apprenticeships at Level 4, 5, 6 or 7. In fact it’s not unusual to find Level 3 apprenticeships that require a minimum of 2 A Levels or equivalent entry qualifications. So in that respect, the range of options available at 18+ is wider than my listings might suggest, and even more so when you take into account that many other employers who are not on my list will recruit apprentices if and when vacancies arise, rather than having an annual programme that starts in or around September. Having said that, competition for places on degree or higher apprenticeships can be very intense, especially in the more popular occupations. In essence, applicants need to be very driven, organised and well-prepared, and one or more STEM subjects will also be an advantage or an essential requirement for some roles.

One further observation I’ve made whilst tracking degree and higher apprenticeships during the past five years is that NHS and other healthcare roles have become increasingly prominent, thanks especially to the NHS Jobs website. However, the majority of NHS vacancies are advertised as and when required and most of them tend to be best suited to applicants who have had some work or life experience since leaving school or college, even if it’s just a few months. This helps to explain why NHS roles are not very well represented in my 2025 listings above. However, I’ve noticed that the government Find an Apprenticeship website has now started posting NHS vacancies, so I think they will start to get a lot more coverage in future.

There’s no one-stop shop for sourcing higher or degree apprenticeships, but examples of some of the most useful sources include the government Find an Apprenticeship website, Amazing Apprenticeships‘ Autumn and Spring vacancy listings, Not Going to Uni, Rate My Apprenticeship, UCAS, Get My First Job and more specialised sources like NHS Jobs, QA, ICAEW and Investment 20/20. Some students, teachers and advisers will also have their own preferred sources.

If you’d like to see more detailed data on the range of occupations available at Levels 4 to 7, especially how they compare in terms of volume and how they’re spread geographically, take a look at the cumulative occupational and regional data in my final “Degree & Higher Apprenticeships Overview (Week 256)” blogpost, which you’ll find here: https://alanbullockcareers.com/2024/12/02/week-256-degree-higher-apprenticeships-overview-and-latest-2025-employer-list/

My featured image is a photo I took last October outside the Owen Building at Sheffield Hallam University. My research over the past five years has shown that, in terms of volume, Sheffield Hallam is one of the most prominent UK unis when it comes to partnering with employers in the provision of degree apprenticeships.

https://alanbullockcareers.com