A new three-year impact report from UK Boardroom Apprentice has highlighted the programme’s role in widening access to board roles, building confidence among aspiring members, and creating stronger pathways into public life.

The evaluation summary, covering 2023 to 2025, shows growing demand for the 12-month learning, development, and placement initiative. Designed for those seeking to serve on public or third-sector (non-profit) boards, the programme allows participants to gain experience through structured learning, mentorship from a "Board Buddy," and direct placement with a host board.

Over the three-year period, UK Boardroom Apprentice received 737 applications, with 176 individuals selected. Participants have made 177 applications for official board positions, securing 52 appointments to date across 101 different host boards. Demand has risen steadily, with annual applications increasing from 182 in 2023 to 342 in 2025.

Eileen Mullan, who founded Boardroom Apprentice in 2017, said: “Across these three years, the evidence is definitive. When people are provided with the right support, the right learning and the right opportunity, they do more than participate — they advance with conviction. They build capability, they strengthen their confidence, and they recognise that board service is not a distant ambition but a credible, attainable step in public leadership.

“This is why the Boardroom Apprentice matters. It is driving systemic change - deepening the understanding of the boardroom; it is widening the pathway into public life and ensuring a strong, diverse talent pipeline of board leaders across the UK.”

The report points to consistently strong outcomes. In 2025, 96 per cent of participants rated the programme’s relevance and its ability to build board-level confidence as excellent or good. Alongside gains in understanding governance, finance, and legal responsibilities, the evaluation found that participants developed a greater belief that they were ready to take the next step.

Mandy Martin, a programme alumna and public appointed board member of the Peak District National Park Authority—located across Derbyshire, Yorkshire, and Cheshire—said: “The programme removed the ‘invisible barriers’ around how boards recruit and choose members. It helped me articulate my board-ready skills and experience with confidence and shifted my own mindset from waiting to be ready to knowing I was ready. Programmes like this create access, confidence and credibility for people who might otherwise be overlooked, while strengthening boards through a wider range of perspectives.”

The evaluation summary sets out several recommendations for future development, including exploring hybrid learning formats to improve accessibility and strengthening alumni engagement.

The full three-year evaluation summary is available to read at the UK Boardroom Apprentice website.