Masters of the Multiverse net 45% apprenticeship income gain

Multiverse has stretched its lead as England’s biggest training provider based on apprenticeship income after revenue jumped 45 per cent in a year.

FE Week analysis of latest Department for Education data shows the tech provider generated £85.3 million from apprenticeship training in the 2024-25 academic year – up from £59 million the previous year.

Its next closest rival is now Corndel, which also reported a bumper year, moving from £43 million in apprenticeship income to £63.5 million. This 48 per cent rise lifted Corndel from a ranking of seventh highest earner in 2023-24 to second highest in 2024-25.

BPP Professional Education also climbed the ladder, moving from fifth to third after its apprenticeship income increased from £51.9 million to £62.7 million.

QA fell from second to fourth despite income rising from £53.3 million to £57.5 million, while Kaplan dropped from fourth to fifth as revenue edged up from £52.8 million to £55.1 million.

Lifetime Training was the only provider in the top 10 to record a fall in apprenticeship income – although the reduction was marginal, from £53.1 million to £52.9 million.

Lifetime was previously England’s largest apprenticeship provider until it was knocked off the top spot by Kaplan in 2021-22. It fell to third in 2023-24 and now sits in seventh.

Multiverse’s rapid rise

2024-25 was Multiverse’s second year as England’s biggest apprenticeship provider earner. The company has grown rapidly – in 2019-20 it ranked 39th after generating less than £4.9 million.

The firm, run by Euan Blair and valued at an estimated £1.6 billion despite recording a pre-tax loss of over £60 million last year, has come under increased scrutiny over its apprenticeship recruitment and delivery.

Its overall qualification achievement rate (QAR) dropped from 59 per cent in 2023-24 to 52.6 per cent in 2024-25.

And Ofsted this year handed Multiverse four ‘needs attention’ judgments – the second-lowest of five possible ratings under the watchdog’s new report card system – covering leadership and governance, apprenticeship achievement, curriculum and teaching, and participation and development. It received an ‘expected standard’ judgment for inclusion.

Multiverse had been rated ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted under the previous inspection framework in 2021.

The watchdog’s latest report suggested some apprentices were enrolled on courses that did not match their work roles and staff were overstretched.

The Times also reported this year that Multiverse had been accused of placing learners on apprenticeships ill-suited to their careers as part of an “aggressive” focus on recruitment.

Among the examples cited were funeral planners and security guards enrolled on data and artificial intelligence apprenticeships.

Multiverse’s apprenticeship starts rose from 7,910 in 2023-24 to 12,030 in 2024-25.

The company paused starts on multiple apprenticeship standards where performance was poor, following an agreement with the government earlier this year.

A Multiverse spokesperson said: “Britain needs more apprenticeships, particularly as AI continues to transform the workforce, so growth across the sector is essential.

“Our incentives are clear: use our learning product to continue to drive retention, meet learners and employers where they are, and ensure those programmes lead to improved economic outcomes for both.”

Level 7 rush boosts Corndel and BPP

Corndel’s rise up the rankings came as starts increased across almost all of the standards it delivers, notably level 7 apprenticeships.

In September 2024, the government announced plans to axe the master’s-level apprenticeships and later decided to end public subsidy for people aged 22 and over from January 2026. This triggered a rush of level 7 starts ahead of the deadline.

Corndel’s level 7 starts rose from 1,716 in 2023-24 to 2,303 in 2024-25. However, its biggest percentage rise was for level 4 apprenticeships, which went from 842 starts to 1,215. Corndel’s highest area of starts in 2024-25 was level 3 programmes, which hit 2,893.

A Corndel spokesperson said a key driver of its revenue was its “high and improving QAR rates – the best of any large provider”.

Its overall QAR has risen every year over the last four years, reaching 78.3 per cent in 2024-25.

“We start lots of learners and complete lots of learners. That’s very different to some of our competitors,” Corndel’s spokesperson said, adding that its QAR would “improve again in 2025-26”.

The provider also received a strong Ofsted report this year with ‘strong standard’ judgments across the board.

Corndel’s spokesperson said: “Following a strong Ofsted report, leading QAR rates, and a reputation for quality, more and more employers are coming to Corndel.”

BPP Professional Education also recorded a significant apprenticeship revenue increase in 2024-25 – up £10.8 million, or 21 per cent.

The rise was driven largely by a surge in level 7 apprenticeships, with starts increasing from 2,907 in 2023-24 to 4,000 in 2024-25.

However, BPP’s largest rise in starts was level 4 apprenticeships, which rose 38 per cent from 1,366 to 1,890.

Lifetime shifts focus from quantity to quality

Lifetime Training continued to record more apprenticeship starts than any other provider, despite a decline in overall starts.

After recording more than 16,000 starts in each of the previous three years, its total fell to 13,100 in 2024-25.

The provider has withdrawn from delivery in some sectors in recent years.

Charlotte Bosworth, CEO of Lifetime Training, said the company had made a “deliberate strategic choice” to focus apprenticeship delivery on the sectors where “we believe we can have the greatest impact for learners, employers and the wider workforce”.

She told FE Week: “That means concentrating our expertise and investment in sectors where we have deep employer relationships and a strong understanding of the skills businesses need.

“This more focused approach has enabled us to invest in the things that matter most: our quality, learning and curriculum, technology and learner support, while working closely with our employer partners to make sure the apprenticeships we offer are relevant to the workplace and deliver the outcomes employers need.

“We are seeing the benefits of that focus with improved outcomes for our learners.”

Lifetime Training’s QAR improved from 40.5 per cent in 2023-24 to 51.2 per cent in 2024-25.

Public sector providers also featured in the top 10, with the British Army drawing down £42.7 million and the Royal Navy £21.1 million.

Manchester Metropolitan University was the highest earning university, placing 14th with £19.7 million, while the college that generated the most from apprenticeships in 2024-25 was Bridgwater & Taunton College, placing 33rd with £13.1 million.

Shift to young people could reshape top earners

The figures come as the government reforms the apprenticeships system to shift funding towards young people starting their careers and away from older, existing employees.

As well as defunding most level 7 apprenticeships, ministers this year scrapped 16 standards, including popular management programmes, after arguing they were directing large amounts of the apprenticeship budget to older workers.

Skills minister Jacqui Smith told this week’s Labour Party conference that further “fundamental levy reform” may be required. Rumours are circulating that the government could increase employer co-funding for apprentices aged 25 and over.

More than 90 per cent of Multiverse and Corndel’s starts were for people aged 25 and over in 2024-25, while the same was true of almost three quarters of starts at QA and Paragon.

Most starts at BPP and Lifetime were also for people aged 25 and over.