State of Engagement 2026 Report |
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Sustaining a high-performing, deeply engaged workplace culture is a challenge for any growing business. But maintaining the highest possible standard - a 3-Star Best Companies Accreditation - for 11 consecutive years, all while doubling headcount and integrating multiple acquisitions, is an exceptional feat.
For South Wales-based apprenticeship and training provider Educ8 Training Group, maintaining world-class employee engagement isn't an afterthought; it is woven into the very fabric of the organisation.
Group CEO Grant Santos, who joined the business nearly 20 years ago when it was a small team of around 20 people, reflects on how the group navigates growth, wage pressures and hybrid working without losing the human touch that defines its culture. Today, Educ8 Group employs 275 staff across Wales and England.
Scaling an organisation through organic growth and four or five strategic acquisitions brings significant structural change. As headcount expands, businesses must institute formal systems without diluting the human-centric values that drove their initial success. Grant highlights this delicate balance between formalising processes and preserving organisational identity, noting, "We've had to put more corporate systems and processes in place, which is important, but we're trying to do that whilst maintaining the culture that's got us where we are... We don't want to get rid of that human value that we have in the organisation and the kind of relationship we have with staff".
A key challenge for Educ8 is that a large proportion of its people work remotely. Staff are spread geographically, meaning face-to-face contact across the entire business may only happen a few times a year.
To overcome the risks of isolation and ensure alignment, Educ8 relies on strict clarity surrounding its core vision, mission and values from day one. When integrating newly acquired businesses or onboarding fresh talent, values are non-negotiable. Educ8 prioritises cultural fit above rapid recruitment, even if that means waiting 18 months to fill a crucial executive role to ensure the right person joins the team.
While expanding an organisation through inorganic growth often risks fracturing workplace culture, Educ8 Training Group has successfully integrated 4 acquired businesses over its growth journey, including a major period between 2023 and 2024 where headcount effectively doubled.
The secret to maintaining their 3-Star Best Companies status through these major integration phases lies in non-negotiable values and transparent communication right from day one. Grant explains that when bringing new businesses into the fold, setting early expectations and providing a clear direction of travel creates a welcoming environment: "We've always been through the acquisitions... very clear from the outset about our culture, about our values, about the vision and mission of the organisation. And that will not be compromised whatsoever".
By actively listening to incoming staff, securing early buy-in and involving them in the wider group’s direction, Educ8 ensures newly acquired teams feel supported rather than absorbed, protecting the group's unified culture as it scales.
To keep a hybrid workforce united, Educ8 prioritises meaningful face-to-face touchpoints alongside structured virtual check-ins.
Central to their engagement strategy are bi-annual corporate gatherings, affectionately named 'Gr8 Days' (naturally fitting the group's naming convention where everything ends in '8'). Grant explains why these large-scale, in-person events are worth the investment in a dispersed team, sharing, "I don't think you can substitute the face-to-face conversation... The September day tends to be pretty fixed in the diary. It's a great time for us to get everyone together, a business update in the morning and we have some fun stuff then in the afternoon. It's an investment, but it's a massive investment in the people, culture and really conveying that direction".
At a local level, managers conduct monthly check-ins aligned with the group's Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) framework. Crucially, out of every three quarterly check-ins, at least one must be conducted face-to-face to ensure line managers build genuine connections with their teams.
This structured approach to leadership clarity and team support is reflected in their Best Companies data, where Educ8 scores 9% above the sector average for Leadership and 8% above average for My Team.
In an evolving economic landscape marked by wage inflation and cost-of-living pressures, employee wellbeing and career development have taken centre stage.
Educ8 tackles wellbeing holistically:
When it comes to personal development, Educ8 continues to refine its progression pathways. Having introduced formal salary bands, the leadership team is focusing on clear, transparent roadmaps so employees know exactly how to grow their skills and advance their earnings.
Measuring employee sentiment isn't just an annual exercise for Educ8, it is a core strategic barometer that directly shapes operational decisions. After more than a decade of participating in the process, Grant points out that the survey has become deeply embedded in their operational identity, noting that Best Companies is "part of the fabric of the organisation". He further describes the accreditation and feedback framework as a vital guiding light for their growth strategy, explaining that it acts as "our North Star" for maintaining employee engagement.
Grant emphasises that authentic feedback is essential for maintaining high standards across the business, stating, "The survey is a barometer of how staff are feeling... It's anonymous, so people answer it honestly. And it's a great tool for us to understand where the pockets of concern are, the pockets of areas we need to improve on. It keeps me grounded and our leadership team grounded in that we constantly have to improve".
Rather than reviewing survey data behind closed executive doors, Educ8 places the insights directly into the hands of its workforce through 'Collabor8', an internal employee voice group made up of 8 to 10 volunteers across different departments and sites.
The leadership team and HR share the Best Companies survey results directly with the Collabor8 group. The members then gather open, candid feedback from their peers to help co-create action plans for improvement. For instance, feedback gathered through Collabor8 directly shaped the plans for their upcoming group-wide Great Day event.
By utilising the Best Companies survey as an honest diagnostic tool, Educ8 actively addresses challenges - such as wage growth expectations and career progression - with full transparency. Grant emphasises that real progress comes from embracing complete honesty, explaining, "We look at the survey, we look at any heat spots, and then we sit down and say, 'OK, what do we need to do here?'... Giving us warts-and-all feedback is important because if we don't know, we can't make decisions and make changes".
It is this relentless drive to listen, adapt, and hold themselves accountable that has enabled Educ8 Training Group to sustain its 3-Star Best Companies status for over a decade, proving that even through rapid growth and changing work environments, placing people first remains the ultimate key to success.
Grant Santos is the CEO of Educ8 Training Group, bringingover 20 years of executive experience in the work-based learning sector.Holding an MBA and professional management qualifications, he has partneredwith Founder and Chairman Colin Tucker to scale Educ8 into amulti-million-pound business and one of Wales' largest independent trainingprovider.
A respected industry leader and frequent mediacontributor, Grant is driven by a values-first ethos and a passion for lifelonglearning. He is deeply committed to staff development, which he demonstrated bychampioning the implementation of Educ8’s Employee Ownership Trust.