UHL is proud to have been included in the Sunday Times’ top 100 UK apprenticeship providers list, for the second year running.
The Trust is named in the 2026 list, which celebrates organisations that demonstrate excellence in apprenticeship recruitment, training, diversity and completion outcomes. UHL is ranked tenth out of the health and social care providers included, and 86th overall.
Apprenticeships support a wide range of areas across UHL, including business administration, operations management, nursing, healthcare science, pharmacy services and other professional healthcare pathways. The programmes provide opportunities for colleagues at all stages of their careers, from entry-level roles to higher-level professional development.
At the time of recognition, 640 colleagues were enrolled onto UK Apprenticeship Levy-funded apprenticeship programmes at the Trust.
Head of Learning and Development, Julie McCarthy said: “This achievement reflects the contribution of apprentices, managers, educators and support teams across the organisation, and shows that apprenticeships are a core part of UHL’s workforce development strategy.
“By supporting people to learn while they earn, the Trust is able to attract new talent, retain and invest in our experienced colleagues, and develop the skills needed for future healthcare services.”
33 UHL apprentices who have recently completed their programme of study attended the 2026 Leicester Employment Hub graduation ceremony at De Montfort Hall, celebrating their achievements alongside apprentices from other organisations in Leicester and Leicestershire.
Among those attending was Stewart Walker, a gardener from the estates and facilities team at the Leicester General Hospital, who has achieved the level three team leader apprenticeship.
Stewart said: “I wanted to challenge myself and get ready for the next stage in my professional development. It was a great course for anybody who’s looking to open their wings and go further.
“I was a bit wary about going back into education, especially at my age. But I had an excellent supervisor, Lee Hines, who helped me all the way through. And there’s an excellent learning and development team at UHL, who were absolutely fantastic. Even at difficult moments, people were always there to lift me up and help me through.
“If you are thinking about an apprenticeship, go for it. I’d recommend it to anybody.”
A group of colleagues who completed the level three data technician apprenticeship also attended the ceremony.
Research and Innovation Information Analyst, Menaga Vinothkumar; Office Administrator, Rebecca Gardner and Patient Pathway Navigator, Caroline Wilford have all graduated from the one-year programme, which gives colleagues the technical and presentation skills to turn data into actionable insights.
Rebecca said: “Things that I do which used to take hours can now be done in minutes. So there’s a lot of additional time to use on analysing the data to add value. But I think the biggest thing I’ve got out of this course is that I feel so much more confident with what I’m doing.”
Menaga added: “Thanks to the apprenticeship, we’re looking at data differently and are better able to interpret the story it is telling. We’re much more confident now in how to present the data for business needs. It’s been an amazing journey.”
Caroline said: “I’ve done presentations of the data that I’ve gathered to do consultants and senior management teams, and I would never have dreamt of doing that before I started the apprenticeship. It’s a brilliant course.”
You can find out more about apprenticeships at UHL on our apprenticeships webpage.