The 5% Club Launches 2025/26 Impact Report at House of Lords Summer Reception

The 5% Club has launched its 2025/26 Impact Report during its Summer Reception at the House of Lords, showcasing a year of significant growth, increased national influence, and continued employer leadership in inclusive workplace learning.

Hosted in Parliament by Lord Allen of Kensington (Chairman of Balfour Beatty) on the evening of 3 June 2026, the reception brought together employers, policymakers, educators, partners and stakeholders from across the skills landscape to reflect on the progress achieved by The 5% Club and its members during the past year.

Enginuity, the UK’s skills charity for engineering and manufacturing, supported this year’s Summer Reception as headline sponsor, bringing a particular focus on the widening gap between employer demand and access to technical career pathways.

Nicola Dolan, Associate Director at Enginuity Said:

“We are proud to support The 5% Club at such a pivotal moment for the UK’s skills system. Recent evidence – from Alan Milburn’s interim findings and the latest Skills England Annual Skills Report -paints a clear picture: demand for technical and vocational skills is growing rapidly across the sectors that will power the UK’s future, yet too many young people remain locked out of these opportunities.

“At the same time, Enginuity’s own research shows employers are continuing to face acute recruitment challenges, even as large numbers of young people remain outside education, employment and training. This disconnect is not just a social issue – it is an economic one.

“As our upcoming report, Mind the Gap, highlights, we urgently need stronger pathways, closer employer engagement and more accessible routes into technical careers to connect untapped talent with real opportunity. We are therefore delighted to support The 5% Club’s work in championing high-quality “earn and learn” routes, which are critical to closing this gap and building the skilled workforce our economy needs.”

The report highlights the continued momentum of the employer-led movement, with membership growing to 1,263 organisations representing more than two million employees across the UK. Collectively, members support over 94,000 apprentices, 23,000 graduates and 12,500 sponsored students in structured “earn and learn” roles.

Also, the fifth year of The Club’s Accredited Membership Employer Audit saw 252 organisations independently benchmarked against their investment in workplace learning, with 78 Platinum, 137 Gold, 30 Silver and 7 Bronze accreditations awarded.

Launching the report, Mark Cameron OBE, Chief Executive of The 5% Club, said:

“This Impact Report reflects an organisation that is increasingly confident in both its purpose and its influence. The 5% Club has evolved into a credible national movement – bringing together employers who are committed to creating meaningful opportunity through high-quality workplace learning.

“At a time of economic uncertainty, technological disruption and growing concern around skills shortages and social mobility, employers have a critical role to play. This report demonstrates the scale of that commitment and the positive impact it is already having across the UK.”

The report also captures a year of expanded policy engagement and thought leadership activity. During 2025, The 5% Club deepened its engagement with Skills England, the Department for Work and Pensions and wider government stakeholders, including through the work of the independently chaired Business Leadership Council.

Other key developments highlighted in the report include:

• The launch of the inaugural Skills Summit at the British Library, attracting more than 230 attendees and achieving a 9.3/10 satisfaction score
• The continued growth of the Skills Gauge employer insight initiative, providing real-time employer sentiment on the evolving skills landscape
• The launch of the Armed Forces Special Interest Group and associated sector collaboration activity
• Expansion of the “Take Five” podcast series showcasing employer-led best practice and workforce innovation
• Progression of the Club’s Digital Transformation Programme and development of The 5% Club Academy

David Mercer, Chair of Trustees at The 5% Club, said:

“What makes The 5% Club distinctive is its credibility. The Employer Audit is not simply a badge or membership benefit – it is a rigorous, evidence-led process that gives employers the opportunity to benchmark, improve and demonstrate meaningful commitment.

“As we launch this report at the House of Lords, we are celebrating not only growth, but the collective leadership of employers who are investing in people, creating opportunity and helping shape a stronger, fairer economy.”

The report sets out The 5% Club’s strategic priorities for 2026 and beyond, including purposeful membership growth, increased policy influence, expansion of consultancy and digital services, and continued advocacy for an inclusive, all-age and all-level skills system.

The Summer Reception also provided an opportunity to recognise the contribution of Patron Members, accredited employers, strategic partners and sponsors who continue to support The 5% Club’s mission to inspire positive employer action for increased, inclusive and accessible workplace learning opportunities for all. The event closed with a tribute and presentation to the outgoing Director of Operations, Gill Cronin, who has worked with The Club since 2017, providing highly valued and stalwart support across her tenure.