WARRINGTON, UK, July 30, 2026 – Caroola Accountancy has reached a new milestone after securing 34th place in The Sunday Times Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers 2026. The latest result represents the company’s strongest performance to date and extends its presence in the prestigious rankings to six consecutive years. The annual list, compiled by High Fliers Research, recognises employers that demonstrate excellence in apprentice recruitment, programme quality, diversity and successful learner outcomes.
Caroola’s latest position places the specialist accountancy provider ahead of a number of nationally recognised employers, including the Bank of England, the NHS, Lloyds Banking Group, Capita and NatWest. It also outperformed several established accountancy firms, including Wescotts, Menzies, Monahans, Azets and PKF Francis Clark.
The business has steadily climbed the rankings since making its debut in 2021. It reached 50th place in 2023, improved to 40th in 2025 and has now broken into the top 35 by securing 34th position.
A major factor behind that progress has been the success of Caroola’s in-house Accountancy Academy, created at the company’s Warrington office in September 2023 and led by Academy Manager Katie Wild. Since opening, the Academy has supported more than 30 apprentices studying AAT, ATT and ACCA qualifications across five separate cohorts. Participants have achieved an average first-time pass rate exceeding 80%, more than 15 percentage points above the Department for Education’s national apprenticeship achievement rate of 65.4% for the 2024/25 academic year.
The Academy has also established a clear career pathway within the organisation. Apprentices from the original intake have already progressed into qualified accountant roles at Caroola, achieving that transition more quickly than is typical across much of the profession. Applications are now being accepted for a sixth intake, which is expected to begin in late summer 2026.
The latest accolade comes during a period of continued development for the business under Managing Director Paul Goodwin. Earlier this year, Caroola became the first UK accountancy firm to introduce opening hours until 7pm. The company also maintains an Excellent 4.8 Trustpilot rating based on more than 6,400 verified customer reviews and recently rolled out a fully digital onboarding process that more than doubled online conversion rates. Goodwin has consistently highlighted investment in people as the driving force behind the company’s long-term success.
Caroola employs more than 300 people and serves a client base concentrated in London through a portfolio of accountancy, payroll and employment brands that includes SJD Accountancy, Nixon Williams, First Freelance, ClearSky Accounting, Parasol and baa accounting.
Reflecting on the recognition, Wild said the result is the product of careful planning and sustained commitment rather than a short-term achievement.
“When we launched the Academy in 2023, our objective was to build a long-term development programme that would help apprentices become qualified accountants while building their careers within Caroola. Seeing members of our first cohort reach that goal confirms the approach is delivering real results.”
She said the Academy’s success is built on combining recognised professional qualifications with practical workplace experience and dedicated monthly development sessions.
“Our average first-time pass rate is 80%, compared with the national average of 65%. That achievement reflects the commitment of Team Leaders Katie Rodgers and Simon Millington, together with the support apprentices receive from colleagues across the wider business.”
Asked about ranking ahead of organisations such as the Bank of England and the NHS, Wild said:
“Those organisations have well-established apprenticeship programmes and make an important contribution to developing talent. For Caroola to be recognised ahead of them shows the standard we have achieved. Everyone who has helped build this programme should take great pride in what we’ve accomplished.”
