The 5% Club

What The 5% Club does

The 5% Club is a UK registered charity and membership organization (Company Number 10301475, Charity Number 1179354) founded in 2013 by Leo Quinn, with a registered office in Sheffield/Greenhill. Its core proposition is that 5% of an employer's workforce should be in "earn and learn" roles — apprenticeships, graduate programmes, sponsored student placements, and T-level work placements. The organization runs an annual Employer Audit through which members receive accredited Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Platinum status based on their workforce's participation in earn-and-learn roles, complemented by an Impact Report, quarterly events, a Skills Summit, a Fellowship programme (launched 2023), a podcast (Take Five), and a Consultancy Service launched in 2023.

The product and service surface has expanded materially since 2021: the Employer Audit (introduced 2021) provides benchmarking data; a Consultancy Service offering Individual Employer and Gravity Schemes (Regional and Supply Chain) was launched in 2023 with support from The ERA Foundation and Grant Thornton UK LLP; The 5% Club Academy launched in April 2025; and a Skills & Employment Alliance was created in December 2024 in partnership with Careers & Enterprise Company and Engineering Development Trust. Patron Sponsors include Birmingham City University, City & Guilds, The Open University, UCAS, Unifrog, and The St Martin's Group.

Revenue is generated through three streams: recurring membership fees from 1,000+ UK employer members, institutional Patron Sponsorships, and consultancy/event income. The organization is led by CEO Mark Cameron OBE with Founder Leo Quinn serving as Life President, governed by a Board of Trustees chaired by Ozlem Gunduz Robinson. Geographic footprint is UK-only across 20+ industries, with named member organizations spanning defence (Lockheed Martin UK, Leonardo, MBDA), transport/rail (CrossCountry, Southeastern), professional services (WSP, Grant Thornton), construction (Kilnbridge), manufacturing (Southbourne Rubber), and ports (Peel Ports Group). There is no technology platform or AI capability disclosed — The 5% Club operates as an advocacy, accreditation, and advisory body rather than a software or data product company.

Name

The 5% Club

Legal name

The 5% Club Limited

Website

https://5percentclub.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The 5% Club is a UK charity and membership organization founded in 2013 that accredits employers for committing 5% of their workforce to earn-and-learn roles, serving 1,000+ UK employers across 20+ sectors through its annual Employer Audit, consultancy services, and Academy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Greenhill

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Employers pay membership fees to join The 5% Club and access the Employer Audit programme, consultancy services, and member benefits.
2. Patron Sponsorships: Organizations such as Birmingham City University, City & Guilds, The Open University, UCAS, Unifrog, and The St Martin's Group sponsor The 5% Club as Patron Sponsors, providing financial and strategic support.
3. Consultancy Services: The 5% Club offers a cost-effective consultancy service to accredited members, including Individual Employer and Gravity Schemes (Regional and Supply Chain), with support from The ERA Foundation and Grant Thornton UK LLP.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The 5% Club is a UK charity and employer membership organisation that accredits UK employers committed to having 5% of their workforce in earn-and-learn roles such as apprenticeships, graduate schemes and sponsored student placements. It sells annual membership with accreditation tiers (Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum) awarded through the annual Employer Audit, alongside a paid Consultancy Service (Individual Employer and Gravity/Regional/Supply Chain Schemes) and The 5% Club Academy for employer capability-building.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Employer Audit Annual benchmarking and accreditation programme that recognises UK employers' success in working towards and surpassing the target that 5% of their workforce should be in 'earn and learn' roles such as apprenticeships or graduate development schemes. Participants receive accredited Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum membership status, a comprehensive benchmarking research report, and exclusive invitations to the Skills Summit.
• Consultancy Service Cost-effective consultancy service for accredited members covering Individual Employer and Gravity Schemes (Regional and Supply Chain), providing advisory support on the employee lifecycle including talent attraction, development, and diversity and inclusion.
• The 5% Club Academy Academy launched as part of The 5% Club's expanding range of employer support services, providing capability-building for employers around earn-and-learn programmes.
• Skills & Employment Alliance Alliance launched with Careers & Enterprise Company and Engineering Development Trust to drive 21st-century careers education and connect schools and employers, including the Exemplar Employer Scheme recognising employers committed to workforce excellence.

Quantifiable outcome

• Average 8.7% of workforce in earn-and-learn roles across participating employers (highest ever recorded)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and regional.

• Birmingham City UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 September 2025Birmingham City University joined as a Patron Sponsor, strengthening shared commitment to creating pathways into high-quality skills, training, and employment opportunities. As one of the UK's leading universities for apprenticeship provision, BCU brings expertise in developing innovative employer partnerships and delivering degree apprenticeships.
• Careers & Enterprise CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 December 2024Partner in The Skills & Employment Alliance, driving 21st-century careers education and connecting schools and employers to meet local skills needs.
• Engineering Development Trust (EDT) & Industrial CadtscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 December 2024Partner in The Skills & Employment Alliance, providing STEM-focused industrial experiences for young people, accredited through Industrial Cadets programme.
• City & GuildsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity & Guilds is an existing Patron Sponsor of The 5% Club, contributing to championing apprenticeships, skills, and employability across the UK.
• The Open UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Open University is an existing Patron Sponsor, supporting The 5% Club's mission to drive skills development and workplace learning.
• UCASmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUCAS is an existing Patron Sponsor, collaborating on careers and employability initiatives including joint webinars.
• UnifrogmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUnifrog is an existing Patron Sponsor, supporting The 5% Club's work on student careers and employability, including joint research on student surveys.
• The St Martin's GroupmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe St Martin's Group is a Patron Sponsor supporting The 5% Club's initiatives and events.
• The School Outreach CompanymajorGTM or Marketing PartnerHeadline sponsor of The 5% Club Skills Summit 2025, playing a pivotal role in connecting schools and employers to enable opportunities for young people. The partnership helps create meaningful career engagement programmes.
• Grant Thornton UK LLPcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGold Member and associate of the Business Leadership Council, Grant Thornton supported the introduction of The 5% Club's Consultancy Service with advisory expertise across the employee lifecycle including talent attraction, development, and diversity & inclusion.
• West Midlands Combined AuthorityregionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for the Gravity (Regional) Scheme, enabling regionally funded participation in a regional Employer Audit for a targeted community of employers, with follow-up symposia and consultancy support.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• STEM Learning: UK charity focused on STEM education and engagement for young people, working with schools, employers, and teachers. Comparable earn-and-learn advocacy focus, though more upstream (pre-employment) than The 5% Club's workplace learning remit.

Direct peers

• EngineeringUK: UK not-for-profit organisation promoting engineering careers and the skills pipeline. Comparable in sector-specific employer engagement and skills advocacy, particularly relevant given The 5% Club's STEM-aligned employer members such as Lockheed Martin, Leonardo, MBDA, and WSP.
• World Skills UK: UK charity promoting vocational skills, apprenticeships, and technical education through competitions and employer engagement. Comparable mission to The 5% Club around skills advocacy, though more focused on competition and international representation.
• Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education: UK government-backed body that approves and manages apprenticeship standards and technical qualifications. Closely aligned with The 5% Club's mission to promote earn-and-learn pathways, though it operates as a non-departmental public body rather than a member-led employer movement.
• Investors in People: UK-based employer accreditation body that assesses and certifies organisations on people management practices. The most directly comparable peer to The 5% Club because of its membership-based employer accreditation model and benchmarking focus, though broader in scope (leadership, wellbeing, etc.).
• Careers & Enterprise Company: UK charitable organisation connecting schools, colleges, and employers to support young people's careers. A direct peer given shared employer-education-skills focus, and an existing partner of The 5% Club via the Skills & Employment Alliance.

Broad incumbents

• British Chambers of Commerce: UK-wide network of accredited Chambers of Commerce representing businesses across sectors. A broader business membership organisation comparable to The 5% Club's employer membership model, though with wider remit including trade, export, and policy advocacy.
• Make UK: UK manufacturing trade association representing manufacturers across the country. Broader than The 5% Club with a sector-specific remit, but overlaps on workforce development, apprenticeship advocacy, and influence on UK skills policy.
• CIPD (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development): UK professional body for HR and people development with a large chartered membership. Broader than The 5% Club in scope (HR, L&D, policy), but directly comparable on people development, learning advocacy, and benchmarking credentials for employers.

Others

• Federation of Small Businesses (FSB): UK's largest membership organisation for small businesses and the self-employed. Thematically comparable as a UK business membership and advocacy organisation, though focused on SME policy and regulation rather than earn-and-learn credentialing.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@The5Club
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-5-club
• Xx.com/5PercentClubUK

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The 5% Club