Grant Thornton and Babington extend partnership to deliver Accountancy Apprenticeships

Leading business and financial adviser Grant Thornton UK LLP and training provider Babington have signed a five-year contract to extend the delivery of the Accountancy Apprenticeships programme, which delivers AAT, CIMA and ACCA qualifications in England.  

The Accountancy Apprenticeships are open to new and existing employees of UK organisations at any stage in their career.  Since launching in 2017, more than 950 people have started these apprenticeship programmes.  

A wide range of employers have enrolled learners on the programme including: John Lewis Partnership, Ocado Group, Direct Line, Bellway Homes, Compass Group, ICBC Standard Bank, NHS and local authorities and central government departments. 

The co-designed programmes draw on Babington’s expertise as a highly rated training provider and Grant Thornton’s commercial knowledge and professional expertise. The partnership ensures the continued delivery and evolution of the programme until 2025. 

Accountancy apprenticeships are a cost-effective way for organisations to up-skill their people and develop the finance function. Large employers can use the Apprenticeship Levy to pay for training and smaller employers receive a 95% contribution towards the costs.  

Mike Mirlach, ICBC Standard Bank Plc, said: 

“We are collaborating with Babington and Grant Thornton to deliver the CIMA and ACCA qualifications for our finance graduates. We have found Babington to be a valuable partner that provides a great learning experience for the next generation of finance talent” 

Justin Rix, partner and head of talent solutions at Grant Thornton UK LLP, said: 

“Our partnership with Babington is an innovative and market leading approach to delivering first-class accountancy qualifications.  UK employers continue to point to concerns over skilled staff shortages as a major potential constraint for growth. Those using apprenticeships say they play an instrumental role in recruiting and retaining talented people.  

“For Grant Thornton, the delivery of accountancy apprenticeships also plays a key role in delivering our commitment to create more equal access to our profession.  Apprenticeships offer people from a wider range of backgrounds a chance to earn whilst learning, creating opportunity, and improving access to the accountancy profession.” 

David Marsh, CEO, Babington said: 

“Our partnership with Grant Thornton has enabled us to ensure that our Accountancy apprenticeships are market-leading with insight and support from the absolute experts. We have seen these programmes go from strength to strength and are really pleased to be re-launching this relationship for another five years. The feedback from our learners and customers has been fantastic and clearly articulates why our programmes are considered to be significantly better than others in the market. We look forward to the next five years and being able to continue to ‘Develop Better Futures’ in line with our core purpose.”