Finding an employer that genuinely invests in your growth can shape your entire career. In 2026, more companies are focusing on building environments where learning, development and progression are accessible to everyone, no matter where they start.

In this guide, we spotlight the organisations focusing on career progression in 2026. These employers create opportunities through transparent development pathways, mentorship, internal mobility, skills training and personalised support. Their approach acknowledges that careers do not always follow a straight line. Growth can be flexible, squiggly and shaped by the goals and interests of each person.

This blog will cover:

• Companies investing in career growth and personal development
• What career development looks like today
• The different ways companies support learning, mobility, and mentorship
• How to find verified employers that prioritise progression

What is career progression and why is it important?

Career progression is all about how you grow in your role and where your career takes you next. It can look like stepping into a new position, learning new skills, exploring a different team or taking on more responsibility. It matters because feeling supported and having a clear path forward can boost confidence, job satisfaction and long-term success.

What career progression initiatives do companies offer?

Many employers now invest in a few core initiatives that make career growth more accessible and meaningful. These often include:

• Clear development pathways that outline what skills and experience you need to progress
• Learning opportunities such as training programmes, courses or learning budgets
• Mentorship or coaching to help guide your growth and build confidence
• Internal mobility options like role moves, project rotations or internal-first hiring

Which are the best companies for career progression in 2026?

1. TUI Group: TUI Group is a leading global travel and leisure company, with 1,200 travel agencies, around 130 planes, over 400 hotels, 16 cruise liners, various digital platforms for leisure activities, and a team of over 60,000 talented colleagues worldwide. Their passion is making holiday dreams come true for our 21 million customers.
2. Mott MacDonald: Mott MacDonald are a global engineering, management, and development consultancy.
3. Airbus: Airbus is a global leader in aeronautics, space and related services. In 2020, it generated revenues of €49.9 billion and employed a workforce of around 150,000. Airbus offers the most comprehensive range of passenger airliners. 
4. Virgin Media 02: Virgin Media O2 is an award-winning fibre broadband provider and telecommunications company. They manage 47 million UK connections across broadband, mobile, TV, and home phone, with around 18,000 colleagues working hard to provide the best connectivity to our valued customers.
5. ClearBank: ClearBank is a fast-growing clearing bank operating entirely in a cloud-based environment.
6. BT Business: With over 175 years of heritage, BT is the flagship business brand of BT Group. They are a B2B powerhouse serving 1.2 million business customers internationally. 
7. Mars UK: Mars produces some of the world’s best-loved brands. Mars’ team of 140,000+ associates are taking action every day toward the world we want tomorrow.
8. Adaptavist Group: The Adaptavist Group are experts at delivering innovative software, tailored solutions, and quality services across some of the world’s most trusted technology ecosystems, including Atlassian, AWS, Slack, monday.com, Aha!, GitLab, and many more. 
9. MONY Group: MONY Group is the UK’s leading price comparison website - providing free, online tools to help people manage, save and grow their money, by enabling them to compare and switch Insurance, Money and Home products.
10. Mondelēz International: Mondelēz International is an American multinational snack company headquartered in Chicago, best known for iconic brands like Oreo and Cadbury.
11. Microsoft UK - Microsoft’s mission is to empower every person and every organisation on the planet to achieve more.
12. Amplifi: Amplifi is a specialist consultancy providing Advisory, Delivery and Support services for data management, data governance and data quality. They are driven by business outcome and long-term success for their clients.
13. Tomorrow Group: Tomorrow is an independent agency network, with brands dedicated to performance, social engagement, analytics, and transformative AI. As a next-gen media, tech and marketing company, we craft powerful, innovative experiences for the new era of digital excellence.
14. Huel: A company that makes plant-based meals, snacks, drinks, and food supplements. 
15. Impression: A digital marketing agency with a hybrid-working approach that aims to empower people to work from the environment that best suits them.
16. Camunda: Camunda enables organisations to orchestrate processes across people, systems, and devices to overcome complexity and increase efficiency.
17. Oak National Academy: Oak National Academy provides a sequenced plan of video lessons and curricular resources for teachers.
18. Flashpack: Flash Pack connects solo travellers in their 30s and 40s to enjoy authentic, stylish and rewarding boutique adventures together. 
19. SilverRail Technologies:  A technology company building the digital infrastructure for global rail. Our vision is to change the way people move by making rail easy for travellers to buy and for agencies and operators to sell.
20. Jones Chase: Jones Chase is a fast-growing and innovative employment law firm established in 2014.
21. Redgate: Redgate’s solutions help organisations reliably solve the complex challenges of database management across the DevOps lifecycle on any database, anywhere.
22. Vodafone: Vodafone are a leading international Telco serving 300 million customers. Their strong belief is that connectivity is a force for good.
23. SAP: A market leader in enterprise software, SAP turns businesses into intelligent, sustainable enterprises.
24. Deliveroo: Deliveroo is an award-winning delivery service founded in 2013 by William Shu and Greg Orlowski.
25. EY: At EY, their purpose is to build a better working world. Through the insights and services they provide, EY helps create long-term value for people and society while building trust and confidence in the capital markets.
26. Northern : Northern connect tens of thousands of people in the North of England to work, leisure, education and more every day.