Stagecoach, the UK’s largest bus and coach operator, has been ranked as one of the country’s top 100 apprenticeship employers, leading the transport sector on the number of new starts.

New Department of Education figures show there were more than 930 new apprentices in training at Stagecoach in 2021-22 – the highest number of any company in the transport, travel and logistics sector.

Benchmarked against more than 500 employers in multiple sectors of the economy, Stagecoach was ranked 36th in the national league table that recognises England’s leading apprenticeship employers.

The survey evaluates organisations’ overall commitment to employing apprentices, their creation of new apprenticeships, the diversity of their new apprentices, and the progression of their apprentices onto further apprenticeships and employment.

Stagecoach currently has its highest ever number of apprentices with over 1,000 individuals across the country being trained in a variety of roles from driving and engineering to IT apprentice qualifications.

Qualifications are gained in partnership with GTG Training for Engineering and Realise for Driver Apprenticeships who were also voted the best apprenticeship provider of the year.

Stagecoach has been offering engineering apprenticeships for over twenty years, and it also offers a ‘trade-up’ scheme, giving existing employees the opportunity to undertake an apprenticeship with the engineering team.

The employer rankings have been developed by the Department of Education, in partnership with High Fliers Research, who independently assess and rank the country’s top apprenticeship employers.

The award is aimed to showcase the country’s most outstanding apprenticeship employers and recognise them for their vital work boosting career opportunities.

Carla Stockton-Jones, Stagecoach UK Managing Director said: “We are absolutely delighted to be named as one of the top 100 employers for our apprenticeship programmes.

“Developing talent is something we take pride in, ensuring we have a strong pipeline of employees throughout our business who can go on to achieve great things here.

“What makes our programmes even more unique is that they aren’t designed only for young people leaving school or college, but a diverse and broad range of individuals can join the team and learn new skills.

“From ex-pilots, to hairdressers for celebrities, we’ve welcomed many people with different backgrounds and ages to their new careers with Stagecoach and we hope to do the same for many years to come.”

Molly Stevenson is the first female engineering apprentice to join Stagecoach’s engineering team in Fife, and recently featured in Stagecoach’s programme produced in partnership with ITN Business to mark the Queen’s Jubilee. She said: “After working in offices for a few years, I decided that it was about time I got a job that was closely related to my hobbies, something hands on but where you’re also using your brain all the time. It’s really hard physical work, you’re on your toes all day, every day is different, but Stagecoach is one of the best companies to work for.”