Celebrating Success
We are thrilled to announce we were included as part of the Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers in the Government’s annual listing!
The rankings highlight England’s top apprenticeship employers, recognising their dedication to creating opportunities, promoting diversity, and ensuring apprentice success. Employers provide details on apprenticeship intake across all levels, including both new recruits and existing employees, and share data on apprentice diversity—covering age, gender, ethnicity, and learning difficulties & disabilities. This information is independently verified and weighted based on workforce size to generate a final score. The organisations with the highest scores are recognised in the Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers and Top 50 SME Apprenticeship Employers lists.
The list evaluates employers based on various criteria to identify the top apprenticeship providers. These criteria include the number of apprentices employed, the diversity of apprenticeship programs offered, the quality of training provided, and the progression opportunities available. We are thrilled to announce that we have been ranked 56th in the Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers, the highest position among Fire and Rescue Services in the country!
Our apprenticeships are crucial to our Fire and Rescue Service as they enable us to build a skilled, diverse workforce that is integral to maintaining the high standards of safety and response our communities rely on. From 2023/24 we had over 80 apprentices in a variety of departments across our Service, By investing in apprenticeships across various departments, from Fire Safety and ICT to operational Firefighters, we not only equip new talent with essential skills but also provide our existing staff with opportunities to advance their careers and provide vital mentoring roles to share knowledge and experience.
The success of our apprenticeship programmes is further evidenced by our recent recognition at the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) Apprentice Awards. We were honoured to receive the National Outstanding Apprentice Projects Award, highlighting the exceptional contributions and innovative projects developed by our apprentices. This award underscores the effectiveness and impact of our apprenticeship initiatives, demonstrating how they contribute to both our organisational excellence and community safety.
Anna Collett, Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue’s Organisational Development Manager said
This recognition is well deserved for all the hard work by everyone involved in delivering the high standard and quality of our apprenticeships. Our apprenticeship programme delivery is a real joined up effort; by the apprentices and their line managers, the Organisational Development, Human Resources and Operational Training team. We are immensely proud of how we lead the way nationally with the range of apprenticeship programmes we deliver across all staff of our service – well done all.”
Earlier this year, we also celebrated National Apprenticeship Week, a variety of our apprentices shared their experiences of balancing studying whilst working for the Fire Service. We asked FF Baxter what he enjoyed the most about his apprenticeship “ I enjoy the opportunity to make a difference in an area I grew up in. To do, see and learn about things most people will never experience. No two days are the same and the challenges at incidents combined with new opportunities to learn is refreshing.”
You can read more about our National Apprenticeship Week celebrations here – National Apprenticeship Week 2024 – Buckinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service (bucksfire.gov.uk)
Appearing in the Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers is a significant accolade for us, as it helps future apprentices identify opportunities with leading organisations. If you’re thinking about starting your career with us, check out our Join Us page to stay updated on future openings and get all the details about joining our team.
