AESSEAL is the top UK apprentice employer in the manufacturing sector in 2025, according to the Sunday Times.
This follows successive top rankings in the same category by the Department of Education in 2022 and 2024.
The South Yorkshire-based company, which supplies mechanical seals and reliability services to global industry, was one of a huge number of UK businesses, drawn from more than 20 different sectors considered for the Sunday Times ‘Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers’ awards.
AESSEAL was ranked overall 84th in the top 100, which features giant public and private sector organizations such as the British Army, Grant Thornton and BAE Systems. The Rotherham-based company takes fewer apprentices annually than many of the others in the list with 73 apprentice starts in 2024. However, AESSEAL prides itself on its record of retaining and developing apprentices, some of whom have risen to senior management posts.
Overall, around 20 per cent of AESSEAL’s workforce started as apprentices, and 32 new apprenticeships were started in the 2024-25 criteria period. With an overall placing of 84th out of 100, the company was the top-ranked manufacturer for 2025.
Chris Rea, managing director of AESSEAL and of holding group AES Engineering Ltd, said:
“It is always a pleasant surprise to be singled out in these national awards. While AESSEAL is a global business we are a lot smaller than some of the other entrants. Developing staff and future-proofing engineering and manufacturing excellence in South Yorkshire is one of our passions and it is very pleasing that the judges have recognised the quality of our ‘grow your own’ philosophy when it comes to recruiting and developing the next generation of engineers and leaders.
Here are some of our apprentice stories:
Max Rose – IT support apprentice
Working in an office and workshop environment rather than a classroom has given me valuable hands-on experience for troubleshooting and problem-solving real-life IT issues, helping me grow personally and professionally. Experiencing the impact of helping colleagues has been one of the most rewarding parts of my journey, further asserting my desire to strive even higher.
Lilly O’Loughlin - Commercial Administrator
My apprenticeship has given me a variety of valuable experiences and helped me grow both personally and professionally. The opportunities given by AESSEAL have built my confidence and skills, providing a strong foundation. I am excited to complete my apprenticeship and see how I can progress at AESSEAL.
Charlie Stelfox – Support Engineer apprentice AVT Reliability Ltd
I joined the AES group in September 2023 on the apprenticeship programme and have been involved in many different aspects of the work carried out at AVTR. I have had the opportunity to go to different sites with our highly skilled and experienced engineers to assist and learn from them. I have also had the opportunity to complete courses such as my Vibration Analysis Level 1, allowing me to further progress my skills and to more easily communicate and understand the work I am involved in from day to day.
