PwC has grown significantly as an apprenticeship employer from being ranked 27th last year to becoming the top accountancy apprentice employer in 2023, ranked 4th in the Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers list, alongside other top employers including the British Army, BT and the Royal Navy.

PwC hired 716 apprentices and almost a quarter of the firm’s current staff are on apprenticeship training programmes.

In the annual rankings, one third of the employers in the top 30 were accountancy firms with Deloitte ranked in 6th place. They employed a total of 866 new apprentices, which was 200 more than they had last year and almost 10% of their staff train were on apprenticeship schemes.

The annual ranking was developed by the Department of Education in partnership with High Fliers Research, who independently assess and rank the nation’s top apprenticeship employers.

EY was ranked 8th and took on 742 apprentices with more than 10% of their staff in apprenticeship training - much like Mazars with 22% of their staff on apprenticeship courses.

In 17th place, BDO had 14% of their staff training on apprentice schemes and 637 new apprentices, followed closely by Grant Thornton in 19th place and Price Bailey in 20th – between them both taking on 417 new apprentices and with one in five of their staff in training.  

RSM was ranked 23rd on the list with 463 apprentices, which was a significant drop from 2022 when the firm was ranked 8th although it took on more apprentices, highlighting the growth in popularity of accountancy apprenticeships.

PKF Francis Clark was ranked 28th on the annual rankings - a total of 108 apprentices started apprenticeships with the firm in the year to March 2023. With nine offices across the south and south west of England, the firm offers accountancy and tax apprenticeship pathways for graduates, school leavers and career changers.

Amy Taylor, chief people officer at PKF Francis Clark, said: ‘Growing our own talent is fundamental to our success as a firm, so we’re proud to be ranked as a Top 100 Apprenticeship employer. In recent years we have recruited a record number of graduates and school leavers, as well as providing opportunities for our existing colleagues to start apprenticeships.’

Kevin Ellis, chairman and senior partner at PwC said, ‘Last year we recruited from over 100 universities, launched our fully-funded technology degree apprenticeships across the UK and hired the majority of our graduate roles outside of London.’

Overall, in the top 50 apprenticeship employers, the professional sector employed a total of 5,704 new apprentices in 2022-23.

The rankings recognise employers for their commitment to employing apprentices, their creation of new apprenticeships, the diversity of their apprentices, and the number of apprentices who complete their apprenticeships and progress further.

Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers 2022-23

Emily McGill is on work experience at Croner-i