SOCOTEC UK Retains Gold Status with The 5% Club for Second Year

The 5% Club Gold status rewards organisations that demonstrate exceptional commitment to skills development through apprenticeships, graduate programmes, and sponsored student placements.

This recognition reflects SOCOTEC's unwavering commitment to developing the next generation of talent in the testing, inspection, and certification (TIC) industry.

This approach consists of apprenticeship programmes, which provide hands-on experience in construction, infrastructure, and environmental services, as well as graduate development schemes nurturing emerging talent in engineering and technical disciplines.

Alongside this are comprehensive professional development opportunities supporting career progression across all levels.

Building on from this success, SOCOTEC is preparing to expand its Earn and Learn programmes over the next 12 months. The organisation plans to leverage upcoming changes to the Apprenticeship Levy, which will transition to the Growth and Skills Levy, to broaden training and development opportunities across its workforce and ensure spending exceeds contributions.

The company is actively engaging with key training providers to understand how shorter apprenticeship modules, will expand their ability to deliver comprehensive professional development.

Central to SOCOTEC's skills strategy is its new Blue Academy ethos, designed to demonstrate the company's ongoing commitment to training and career progression. This initiative recognises that career pathways, social cohesion, and access to training are fundamental to employee retention and long-term engagement.

Early careers remain a significant area of focus, with Building Control set to welcome an additional ten degree apprentices. SOCOTEC is encouraging all business areas to consider apprenticeships for entry-level positions as part of its commitment to developing homegrown talent.

Our ‘you grow, we grow’, philosophy represents a key differentiator in an increasingly competitive market. This approach to skills development ensures that professional growth opportunities remain aligned with our business expansion and client service excellence, while contributing to addressing the UK's skills gap in critical sectors.
“Retaining our Gold status with The 5% Club underscores our position as an employer of choice in the TIC sector, demonstrating that investment in people remains central to delivering world-class risk management and asset integrity services across construction, infrastructure, and environmental services.

Lisa Massey, HR Director, SOCOTEC UK & Ireland