Busy Bees Education and Training

What Busy Bees Education and Training does

Busy Bees Education and Training is a UK-based apprenticeship training provider and a subsidiary of Busy Bees Group, the UK's largest nursery operator with 370+ UK sites and international operations across Canada, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Ireland, and Italy. The company delivers apprenticeship programmes primarily in Early Years/childcare (Levels 2 through 5, including Early Years Practitioner, Early Years Educator, and Early Years Lead Practitioner) and Catering (Production Chef Level 2, Senior Production Chef Level 3), alongside Functional Skills qualifications in Maths and English and a broader suite of CPD/short courses. The business currently trains more than 1,400 apprentices at any given time and has cumulatively upskilled 4,000+ employees, serving both internal Busy Bees nurseries and external employer clients across the childcare, catering, residential care, clinical care, and management sectors throughout the UK and Scotland.

The technology and delivery stack is built around three core components: the Virtual Learning Academy (VLA), an in-house e-learning platform that delivers online CPD courses, refresher training, and free webinars with self-service enrollment and certification; Smart Assessor, an e-portfolio system that tracks apprentice progression, manages the 20% off-the-job training compliance requirement, and records learning evidence; and a partnership with Cognassist, which provides a neurodiversity screening tool assessing learners across eight cognitive domains and feeding personalised learning strategies back to in-person Development Coaches. Apprenticeship delivery is blended (typically 13 to 21 months plus End Point Assessment), combining on-the-job learning with remote coaching, functional-skills tutoring, and portfolio evidence capture.

Revenue is driven primarily by government-funded apprenticeship training routed through the UK Apprenticeship Levy for levy-paying employers, Skills Development Scotland for Scottish Modern Apprenticeship frameworks, and reserved funding for non-levy employers. Pricing follows a contribution/unit model — for example, a £350 employer contribution for the Early Years Educator Level 3 programme and a £250 employer maximum contribution for the Production Chef Level 2 apprenticeship. Go-to-market combines enterprise direct sales into employer HR/L&D functions, direct learner recruitment via the busybeestraining.co.uk website, an active content and social programme (podcast, blog, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, LinkedIn), and event participation around National Apprenticeship Week and Scottish Apprenticeship Week. The company holds multiple accreditations including Ofsted Good, Queen's Award for Enterprise, Investor in People Silver, Matrix Standard, and SQA approval, which collectively underpin its eligibility to access public apprenticeship funding.

Name

Busy Bees Education and Training

Legal name

Busy Bees Education and Training

Website

https://busybeestraining.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Busy Bees Education and Training is a UK-based apprenticeship provider and subsidiary of Busy Bees Group, delivering Early Years, Catering, and Care apprenticeships alongside Functional Skills and CPD courses to employers and individual learners across the UK and Scotland.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Vocational Apprenticeship Training

NAICS

Apprenticeship Training (611513), Technical and Trade Schools (61151), Professional and Management Development Training (61143)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Institutional & Commercial Kitchen Training (Schools/Healthcare/Corporate) (EDAOAKAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Workplace Culture, Engagement & Wellbeing Training (EDABAIAG)

Keywords

• Apprenticeship training
• Early years education
• Catering apprenticeships
• Vocational qualifications
• Professional development

Headquarters

HQ city

Burntwood

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Apprenticeship Training: Government-funded apprenticeship programmes in Early Years and Catering. Training is funded through the Apprenticeship Levy for levy-paying employers and through Skills Development Scotland for Scottish programmes. Non-levy employers can reserve funding for apprentices.
2. CPD and Short Courses: Online and face-to-face CPD courses including health and safety training, first aid training, specialist care courses. Delivered through Virtual Learning Academy (VLA) and in-person training venues.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels12 records

Core offering

Busy Bees Education and Training delivers government-funded apprenticeship programmes in Early Years (Level 2–5) and Catering (Production Chef Level 2 and Senior Production Chef Level 3) to both levy-paying and non-levy employers, as well as online CPD and short courses through its proprietary Virtual Learning Academy (VLA). The company combines workplace training, recognised qualifications, and one-to-one Development Coach support with Functional Skills (Maths and English) and e-portfolio tracking via Smart Assessor.

Product overview

Busy Bees Education and Training offers a unified apprenticeship training platform centred on Early Years and Catering sectors, complemented by a Virtual Learning Academy (VLA) for online CPD courses. Their core apprenticeship programmes span Level 2 to Level 5 in Early Years (including Early Years Practitioner, Early Years Educator, and Early Years Lead Practitioner) and Catering (Production Chef and Senior Production Chef), alongside Functional Skills qualifications in Maths and English. The Smart Assessor ePortfolio platform supports delivery across all programmes. They also host the annual Star Awards to recognise apprentice achievement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Apprenticeships (Early Years and Catering) Full apprenticeship programmes spanning Early Years (Level 2 to Level 5) and Catering sectors (Production Chef Level 2, Senior Production Chef Level 3), combining workplace learning with recognised qualifications for learners and employers.
• Early Years Educator Level 3 Apprenticeship Advanced apprenticeship training professionals to work as qualified Early Years Educators, delivering Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) requirements for children from birth to 5 years old; 21 months plus End Point Assessment.
• Production Chef Level 2 Apprenticeship Level 2 apprenticeship training individuals to work as production chefs in time-bound kitchen environments including schools, hospitals, and care homes; 13 months plus End Point Assessment.
• Functional Skills (Maths and English) Qualifications in maths and English designed to help learners develop essential skills for employment and everyday life, supported by dedicated Functional Skills Coaches and structured online sessions.
• Virtual Learning Academy (VLA) Proprietary online e-learning platform offering CPD courses, short courses, and refresher training across areas including children and young people, leadership and management, and health and safety; includes course enrollment, badge and certificate downloads, profile management, and helpdesk functionality.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1,400 apprentices currently in training across multiple sectors
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• CognassistcoreTechnology or IntegrationPartnership providing neurodiversity assessment tool that identifies needs across 8 domains of thinking and learning. The assessment delivers personalised learning strategies and supports reasonable adjustments for neurodiverse learners. Development Coaches use Cognassist reports to adapt teaching and provide appropriate support from day one of learning.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• NCFE: UK education charity and awarding body offering vocational qualifications and apprenticeship-end-point-assessment services. Adjacent competitor shaping the qualification framework that Busy Bees' apprenticeships sit within.
• QA: Major UK training and apprenticeship provider with a multi-sector portfolio spanning technology, healthcare, and care. Larger and broader than Busy Bees but overlaps in apprenticeship delivery to UK employers.
• Babcock International: Large UK apprenticeship and skills training provider operating broadly across many sectors including early years and care. Significantly larger than Busy Bees but competes for the same employer apprenticeship contracts and government-funded volumes.
• City & Guilds: UK's leading vocational qualification awarding body, including for Early Years and Catering apprenticeships. Sets the qualification standards the company delivers against, making it an industry-incumbent peer rather than a direct training competitor.

Direct peers

• Paragon Skills: UK apprenticeship provider with strong Early Years and care sector focus, delivering Levels 2-5 programmes to employers nationwide. Direct competitor for both internal Busy Bees-style and external employer contracts.
• Learning Curve Group: Multi-sector UK apprenticeship and vocational training provider covering childcare, health, dental, and operational roles. Direct comparator for the company's apprenticeship delivery model and funding mix.
• Calex UK: UK training provider delivering Early Years, healthcare, dental, and care-sector apprenticeships. Overlaps directly with the company's vertical mix and apprenticeship delivery model.
• Lifetime Training: UK apprenticeship and traineeship provider covering healthcare, childcare, active leisure, and professional services. Comparable competitor operating in overlapping care and operational sectors at similar scale.
• Aspiration Training: UK apprenticeship training provider focused specifically on the Early Years and childcare sector. Directly comparable as a similarly-sized specialist apprenticeship provider competing in the same core vertical and serving similar UK childcare employers.
• Realise (Realise Apprenticeships): UK apprenticeship training provider delivering programmes across childcare, healthcare, and adjacent care sectors. Comparable competitor for the company's Early Years, care, and operational apprenticeship offerings to UK employers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/BBTraining
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC-2tfQ3YqwiJdaHdBEGam3w
• Facebookfacebook.com/BBTrainingUK
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bbtraining
• Instagraminstagram.com/busybeestraining_
• TikToktiktok.com/@busybeestraining

Compliance10 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 Busy Bees Education and Training