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The 5% Club Impact Report 2025/26

Launched at the House of Lords on 3 June 2026, The 5% Club's 2025/26 Impact Report showcases a year of growth and national influence in employer-led workplace learning: 252 earn-and-learn accreditations awarded, an inaugural Skills Summit with a 9.3/10 satisfaction score, and expanded policy engagement with Skills England and the DWP.

Report snapshot
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About

The 5% Club is a UK charity and membership movement of employers committed to increasing earn-and-learn opportunities (apprenticeships, graduate schemes and sponsored students) as a route to tackling skills shortages and improving social mobility.

Key Metrics

Accreditations awarded 252 earn-and-learn employer accreditations awarded in 2025/26: 78 Platinum, 137 Gold, 30 Silver and 7 Bronze
Skills Summit Inaugural Skills Summit at the British Library attracted more than 230 attendees with a 9.3/10 satisfaction score
Policy engagement Deepened engagement with Skills England, the Department for Work and Pensions and wider government stakeholders through the independently chaired Business Leadership Council

Key Outcomes

  • 252 employers earned Platinum, Gold, Silver or Bronze accreditation for their investment in workplace learning in 2025/26.
  • The inaugural Skills Summit brought together 230+ employers, educators and policymakers, achieving a 9.3/10 satisfaction score.
  • New Armed Forces Special Interest Group launched and the Skills Gauge employer insight initiative expanded, growing the Club's national movement for earn-and-learn opportunities.

Geography

UK-Wide

Impact Snapshot
568,000
babies reached by Bookstart Baby in 2025/26 (93% of all babies born)
Over 1.1 million
children and families engaged with Bookstart programmes in 2025/26
80%
of parents and carers receiving Bookstart Baby say they now read or share books and stories more with their child
445,600 children aged 1-4 reached through Bookstart Toddler and Pre-schooler, including 37% of all 1-4-year-olds living in low-income households
Impact Snapshot
Key Metric 1
440,000+ young people aged 4-18 active members across 7,000 Groups
Key Metric 2
140,000 volunteers supporting the movement across the UK
Key Metric 3
373 Sections opened or re-energised in England between April 2024 and March 2025
0.3% overall growth in young people (ages 4-18), driven by 31% increase in Squirrel Scouts (5,200 young people)
Impact Snapshot
Key Metric 1
55,000 foster carers and 370 fostering service providers as members across the UK
Key Metric 2
45 new Fostering Friendly Employers recruited, bringing the scheme to over 680,000 employees across the UK
Key Metric 3
95 Fostering Wellbeing Pioneers in Wales offering peer support and mentoring to fellow foster carers
191 children and young people engaged in outdoor adventure weeks through the Fostering Attainment and Achievement programme in Northern Ireland