Regional accounting firm Bishop Fleming has been recognised among some of the largest organisations in the UK for its apprenticeship programme.
The firm, which has the largest of its seven offices in Bristol, has been ranked 14th in the Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers list for 2022, which showcases the best apprenticeship programmes over the previous 12 months. 
It is ranked alongside some of the country’s largest employers, including the Army, BT and Royal Air Force.
Co-developed by the Department for Education, the national league table recognises organisations for their overall commitment to employing apprentices along with the way they create new apprenticeships, the diversity of their new apprentices and their progression onto further apprenticeships and employment.
Bishop Fleming partner and people director Anna Averis said: “We are delighted to receive this recognition for our leading apprenticeship programme which is now among the very best in our sector.
“As one of only a few accounting firms to have been awarded Employer-Provider status, we are able to develop and deliver our own tailored apprenticeship programme. This is now delivering real results and is integral to our wider growth ambition.”
The firm, which employs 430 people across its network of offices stretching from Truro to Worcester, recruited a record 64 apprentices last year, pictured above, and is on track to appoint a further 60 to 70 this autumn.
That would take the total number of apprentices who have embarked on the programme to more than 170 since it was started three years ago.
Having posted record fee growth of 19% in the 2021-2022 financial year, Bishop Fleming expects its overall headcount grow to 500 this year.
The firm’s scheme includes a rotation-based programme, enabling some apprentices to experience all areas of the business while others develop a deeper specialism in one area, supplemented with coaching, mentoring and study leave.
Anna added: “As a responsible business, our scheme – together with our support for initiatives like the Strive black internship programme – is focused on achieving greater diversity in our workforce.
“And through our social mobility strategy, we are improving the many routes available into a career in our business to as many young people as possible.”
The ranking tops a string of recent award shortlistings for Bishop Fleming, including Best Apprenticeship Scheme in the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development’s forthcoming prestigious People Management Awards while it will learn if it has won the Investing in People award at the Accounting Excellence awards in London this autumn.
Bishop Fleming managing partner Andrew Sandiford said: “To be recognised alongside some major employers in the country is a fantastic achievement for our business.
“We are committed to attracting the very best talent and the future leaders of our business, and I am particularly pleased that our scheme now offers a variety of routes into a rewarding career in accounting.”
