A LOCAL nursery business is celebrating after being named as one of the top five apprenticeship employers in a national list.
Busy Bees earned the spot in The Sunday Times Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers 2026 list for the second consecutive year
The ranking sees the chain – which operates more than 350 nurseries across the UK and has around 1,100 apprentices – become the highest-ranked apprenticeship employer outside of the defence sector.
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."
