Employer Audit 2026

Balfour Beatty

We are delighted that Balfour Beatty is taking part in The 5% Club Employer Audit 2026 – you now need to submit your data and information for the audit.

There are a total of 10 questions to complete.

Once you have answered each of the questions, press the 'Submit' button below – or if you are completing the questions in stages, you can press the 'Save' button to save your answers and return to them later.

All your data and information will be treated as confidential and will only be used for The 5% Club Employer Audit, as per the audit's Terms & Conditions.

If you need any assistance or guidance when completing the questions, please contact carla.smith@5percent.highfliers.co.uk at The 5% Club’s research partner High Fliers Research.

Employer Name

Industry or Business Sector

Your Firstname

Surname

Job Title

Email Address

Mobile

These details will be used to contact you after you've submitted your information and data, to enable us to check and verify your submission.

1. What is the total number of full time equivalent employees currently employed by your organisation in the UK?

2a. How many of the following does your organisation currently employ in the UK?

Graduates (on formal training & development programmes)

Apprentices in England:

Level 2 Apprentices

Level 3 Apprentices

Level 4, 5, 6 or 7 Higher or Degree Apprentices

Apprentices in Scotland:

Modern Apprenticeships

Foundation Apprenticeships

Graduate Apprenticeships

Apprentices in Wales:

Foundation Apprenticeship

Apprenticeship

Higher or Degree Apprenticeship

Apprentices in Northern Ireland:

Level 2 Apprenticeship

Level 3 Apprenticeship

Higher Level Apprenticeships

Degree course placement students (paid roles usually lasting 6 or 12 months)

Please give the total number currently employed in each category. For example, if you have a two-year graduate development scheme, include the combined number of graduates in both years of the scheme.

Please note that ‘graduates’ refers to those recruited onto a formal graduate training & development programme, not general direct-entry employees who have a university qualification.

2b. How many of the following does your organisation currently employ in the UK (or has employed over the past 12 months)?

Summer internship or work placement undergraduates (paid roles, usually lasting 8-12 weeks)

HND work placement students

Cadetships (paid roles, usually lasting 6 months or longer)

T-Level work placement students

Apprentices on apprenticeship units (introduced in England in April 2026)

2c. How many other ‘earn and learn’ employees (if any) does your organisation currently employ?

Other ‘earn and learn’ programmes (typically lasting 6 months or longer and including at least 4 hours of formal training per week)

Please give details of these other programmes:

3a. Which of these other employment schemes and programmes do you support or provide?

Tick all relevant answers

Work experience for schools or sixth form colleges

Traineeships

Higher Technical Qualifications (HTQs)

Higher Vocational Qualifications (HVQs)

Skills Bootcamps

b. Which of the following types of outreach does your organisation take part in for its recruitment and employment (eg. presentations, talks, careers fairs, emails, targeted promotions, sponsoring activities etc)?

Tick all relevant answers

Schools & sixth form colleges

Universities

Further education (FE) colleges

Armed Forces veterans

4a. How many graduates started work at your organisation over the last 12 months (between 1^st August 2025 and 31^st July 2026)?

b. How many graduates do you think will start work at your organisation in the next 12 months (between 1^st August 2026 and 31^st July 2027)?

c. What do you think the outlook is for graduates for the following year (from 1^st August 2027 to 31^st July 2028)?

Select one response

We are likely to have more graduates join our organisation

It is likely to be similar to 2026-2027

We are likely to have fewer graduates join our organisation

Don't know

d. Are you planning to introduce any new graduate programmes in 2026-2027 or beyond, and if so, what will they be?

5a. How many apprentices started apprenticeships at your organisation in the last 12 months (between 1^st August 2025 and 31^st July 2026)?

England:

Level 2 Intermediate Apprentices

Level 3 Advanced Apprentices

Level 4, 5, 6 or 7 Higher or Degree Apprentices

Scotland:

Modern Apprenticeships

Foundation Apprenticeships

Graduate Level Apprenticeships

Wales:

Foundation Apprenticeship

Apprenticeship

Higher or Degree Apprenticeship

Northern Ireland:

Level 2 Apprenticeship NI

Level 3 Apprenticeship NI

Higher Level Apprenticeships

b. How many apprentices do you think will start apprenticeships at your organisation in the next 12 months (between 1^st August 2026 and 31^st July 2027)?

England:

Level 2 Intermediate Apprentices

Level 3 Advanced Apprentices

Level 4, 5, 6 or 7 Higher or Degree Apprentices

Scotland:

Modern Apprenticeships

Foundation Apprenticeships

Graduate Level Apprenticeships

Wales:

Foundation Apprenticeship

Apprenticeship

Higher or Degree Apprenticeship

Northern Ireland:

Level 2 Apprenticeship NI

Level 3 Apprenticeship NI

Higher Level Apprenticeships

c. What do you think the outlook is for apprenticeships for the following year (from 1^st August 2027 to 31^st July 2028)?

Select one response

We are likely to have more new apprentices than in 2026-2027

It is likely to be similar to 2026-2027

We are likely to have fewer new apprentices than in 2026-2027

Don't know

d. Are you planning to introduce any new apprenticehips in 2026-2027 or beyond, and if so, what will they be?

6a. Please give details of the proportion of your current graduates who are in the following categories:

Please give percentages or approximate percentages for each category or tick 'data is not available'

Gender

Men

Women

Non-binary

Data is not available

Ethnic Background

Black, Asian and minority ethnic

Data is not available

Sexuality

LGBTQ+

Data is not available

Age

19-24

25+

Data is not available

Disabilities

Learning Difficulties and/or Disabilities (LDD)

Data is not available

Social Mobility

From low-income family

Care-leaver

Data is not available

Low-income families are usually defined as those where school-age children receive free school meals or the family has received Income Support.

b. Please give details of the proportion of your current apprentices who are in the following categories:

Please give percentages or approximate percentages for each category or tick 'data is not available'

Gender

Men

Women

Non-binary

Data is not available

Ethnic Background

Black, Asian and minority ethnic

Data is not available

Sexuality

LGBTQ+

Data is not available

Age

16-18

19-24

25+

Data is not available

Disabilities

Learning Difficulties and/or Disabilities (LDD)

Data is not available

Social Mobility

From low-income family

Care-leaver

Data is not available

Low-income families are usually defined as those where school-age children receive free school meals or the family has received Income Support.

7. How does your organisation assure the quality of its graduate training & development programmes, apprenticeships and degree course student placements?

Graduate Training & Development Programmes

Apprenticeships

Degree Course Student Placements

8a. What proportion of your graduates typically finish your graduate training & development programmes and progress into a permanent role with your organisation?

% of graduates who finish training & development programme

% of graduates who progress into a permanent role

For example, if 50 graduates started a 12-month training programme and 46 graduates finished the programme, and all 46 graduates continued into a permanent role, then you would enter ‘92%’ in both boxes above. If only 40 graduates continued into a permanent role, you would enter 80% in the second box.

If you are unable to provide exact figures, please enter a range or estimate, such as '80-90%' or 'approximately 80%'.

b. What are the main reasons that your graduates don't finish their training & development?

9a. What proportion of your apprentices typically finish their apprenticeships and progress onto another apprenticeship or a permanent role with your organisation?

% of apprentices who finish apprenticeships

% of apprentices who progress to further apprenticeships or a permanent role

For example, if 100 apprentices started a 2-year apprenticeship and 78 apprentices finished the programme and 72 apprentices continued onto another apprenticeship or a permanent role, then you would enter ‘78%’ and ‘72%’ respectively.

If you are unable to provide exact figures, please enter a range or estimate, such as ‘60-70%’ or ‘approximately 75%’.

b. What are the main reasons that your apprentices don't finish their apprenticeships?

10. Which of the following national awards or recognition has your organisation received or achieved as an employer of graduates, apprentices or degree course placement students in the last three years?

Tick all relevant answers

National Apprenticeship & Skills Awards

The Sunday Times Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers

The Times Top 100 Graduate Employers

Sunday Times Best Companies to Work For

UK's Best Workplaces

The 5% Club National Employer ‘Earn & Learn’ Awards

Investors in People

B Corp Certification

Youth Employment’s Good Youth Employment Charter

The Times Top 50 Employers for Women

Social Mobility Employer Index

Stonewall Top 100 Employers

Inclusive Companies Awards

Armed Forces Covenant / Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (Gold, Silver or Bronze)

Other national awards or recognition that your organisation has received for its recruitment, employment and training & development of graduates, apprentices or degree course placement students

Please give details

Please include any additional national awards or recognition that your organisation has received or achieved for its recruitment, employment and training & development of graduates, apprentices or degree course placement students.

If you have any additional information or comments that you would like to make, please enter them here.

Once you have completed all of the questions, please complete the declaration below and then press the 'Submit' button. If you would like to save your answers and return to them later, please press 'Save'.

I certify that the information and data that I have provided is accurate and complete and that I agree to take part in the verification process, which may be conducted by email or a short follow-up telephone interview.