24/09/2026
What an incredible day in Westminster! ⚡🏆
Today, we were honoured to attend Westminster to receive our award after being named among the Higherin Top 50 Apprenticeship Employers 2026, sponsored by the UK Government.
This is a fantastic achievement for Barrie Beard, placing us alongside some of the UK’s leading SMEs across a wide range of industries.
The day also gave us the opportunity to meet and share ideas with others who are passionate about developing the next generation of talent. We spoke with a representative from the Department for Work and Pensions about the End-Point Assessment process for our apprentices and how it can be approved. We also met Winnie from Arup, who shared some interesting insights into how a larger organisation recruits, supports and manages its apprentices.
Apprenticeships have been at the heart of our business since we were founded in 1978. Investing in the next generation of electricians isn’t just something we do – it’s part of who we are.
Of our 108 employees:
⚡ 78 are current or former apprentices who completed their training with us.
👷 58 are former apprentices, making up 53.7% of our workforce.
📚 20 are currently completing their apprenticeships, representing 18.5% of our team.
And these figures don’t even include this year’s newest apprentice intake!
We’re incredibly proud of every apprentice, past and present, who has helped shape Barrie Beard into the company it is today.
Congratulations to everyone involved, and a huge thank you to our dedicated mentors, supervisors and training partners who continue to support the next generation of skilled electricians.
Here’s to developing talent, creating opportunities and building the future of our industry. ⚡
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