Thrive combines participant feedback, employer evidence and independent review to help organisations understand, improve and recognise programme quality.
Thrive with Distinction
Four independent evidence layers · Independent council review · May 2025
Programme scorecard, ten dimensions
Early talent survey, independent findings
"The qualification support is genuinely excellent, the firm takes it seriously."
Graduate, Year 2 · Independent survey
"The experience depends too much on which team you land in."
Graduate, Year 1 · Independent survey
Priority development areas
Equity of experience, uneven access to opportunities (15/24)
Manager consistency, significant team variation (16/24)
External context review: No concerns identified
Why organisations participate
Thrive is built for organisations that want more than a badge. It is an evidence-gathering mechanism that returns value at every stage.
Independent Assessment
Understand how your programme performs across ten dimensions, through evidence sources your organisation does not control.
Recognition
Receive accreditation where standards are met, giving candidates, clients and stakeholders an independently verified signal of programme quality.
Intelligence
Contribute to and benefit from a growing evidence base on what drives successful early talent experiences, across sectors and organisation types.
Leadership Insight
Receive executive-level recommendations to support programme improvement and secure internal investment decisions with independently gathered evidence.
The assessment process
From introductory conversation to full outcome report in six to ten weeks. Here is what happens.
You complete the firm submission
Work through all ten programme dimensions in the employer portal at your own pace.
Employer-LedYou send the survey. We receive it.
We provide a ready-to-send email and link. You forward it to your early talent. Every response goes directly to Pipeline Intelligence.
Runs in parallelIndependent council reviews all evidence
The forensic review and council collectively assess all four layers. The outcome is final and your report will follow after a couple of weeks.
Pipeline Intelligence LedLayer one, you complete
Ten dimensions, each with structured questions and scoring. You work through it in the employer portal at your own pace, saving as you go, and upload supporting evidence alongside your answers.
Employer-led · Your timelineDimension 3 · Development and qualification
Q3.1
How do you support graduates toward professional qualification beyond paying fees?
Describe structured support: counsellor guidance, revision support, mock assessments, study leave provision.
Q3.2
What is your average annual training investment per graduate?
Include all direct costs, training programmes, professional fees, study leave, external coaching.
From: Kara Williams, Meridian Consulting Group
Please share your honest experience with the programme
Pipeline Intelligence is independently assessing our graduate programme. Your responses go directly to them, not to us. The survey takes 8 minutes. We cannot see individual answers.
How satisfied are you with the development and qualification support provided?
Participant responses are managed independently by Pipeline Intelligence
Layer two, participant feedback
We provide a ready-to-send email template and a unique survey link. You distribute it to your early talent through your own email system, which means it arrives from a trusted sender and avoids any internal firewall. Participant responses are collected and managed independently by Pipeline Intelligence. Individual responses are never shared with employers.
Layer three, external context
Alongside programme evidence and participant feedback, we review publicly available information to understand factors that may influence participant experience and employer reputation. This information forms a small part of the overall assessment.
Sources may include
External context review · Meridian Consulting Group
Employment tribunals
0 relevant cases identified · 2022–2025
Glassdoor and Indeed
Graduate reviews assessed · No red flags
National and trade press
No adverse coverage identified
LinkedIn and social media
No adverse graduate commentary found
Council review · Meridian Consulting Group
Dr E. Clarke
Early careers research · 14 years
J. Parsons
Graduate programme leadership
A. Harrison
Employer brand and talent
Council outcome, confirmed
Thrive with Distinction · 182 / 240
Layer four, independent council
All evidence from the four layers is presented to the independent Pipeline Intelligence Council. The council reviews collectively and the outcome is final. Our council are made up of experienced professionals across early careers, learning and development, higher education, diversity, equity and inclusion and leadership development.
Thrive Outcomes
Accreditation is one possible outcome. Where standards are not yet met, organisations receive the Progressing designation along with a full Intelligence Report, clear recommendations and a pathway toward future accreditation.
All four outcomes include a comprehensive Intelligence Report covering participant feedback, programme insights, identified strengths, risks and strategic recommendations.
Founding Cohort
The founding cohort is the first group of organisations assessed under the Thrive standard. Every founding firm pays the same rate regardless of intake size, and helps shape what the standard becomes.
Founding cohort rate
Beyond accreditation
As participation grows, organisations contribute to and benefit from a growing body of insight into what actually shapes early talent experience, intelligence that no single organisation could build alone.
Participant experience
What early talent actually report experiencing across sectors, programme types and organisation sizes.
Programme effectiveness
Which dimensions of programme design most consistently predict strong participant outcomes and retention.
Manager impact
The role of line manager quality in shaping participant satisfaction, development and whether early talent stays.
Retention drivers and emerging expectations
What makes early talent stay, progress and advocate for a programme, and how those expectations are shifting.
Express Interest
A short introductory call to understand your programme, answer your questions, and confirm whether Thrive is a good fit.
To be eligible
Totally fair to ask.
The founding cohort rate is £2,500 + VAT for every organisation regardless of intake size. After the cohort closes, standard pricing applies: up to 20 early talent is £2,500 + VAT, and 21 or more is £3,500 + VAT. An annual licence maintains your public register listing. Full terms on request.
Every organisation receives the same assessment process, participant feedback and Thrive Intelligence Report regardless of outcome. The purpose of Thrive is not simply to recognise strong programmes, but to help organisations better understand participant experience and programme quality. Where accreditation is not awarded, organisations receive the Progressing designation alongside clear feedback, strategic recommendations and a pathway toward future accreditation.
No. Only accredited organisations appear on our register. Assessment outcomes and reports remain confidential between Pipeline Intelligence and the participating organisation.
Most organisations participate for insight, not recognition alone. We provide an independent view of programme quality, participant experience and areas for development that are often difficult to identify internally. Accreditation is one possible outcome. The intelligence generated through the process is valuable regardless of whether accreditation is achieved during the first assessment cycle.
We provide a ready-to-send email template and a unique survey link. You forward it to your early talent through your own email system, so it arrives from a sender they trust, and bypasses any corporate firewall. All responses go directly to Pipeline Intelligence. You cannot see who responded, what individuals said, or how many completed. You receive aggregated, anonymised findings in your outcome report only.
Six to ten weeks from the date you complete your firm submission. The submission takes most organisations two to four weeks. The survey and forensic review run simultaneously. Council review completes within five working days and your outcome report follows immediately.
Most organisations spend between 12 and 20 hours completing the firm submission, spread across two to four weeks. The early talent survey requires about 30 minutes of your time to forward the email we provide. The forensic review and council process require nothing from you.
Responses go directly to Pipeline Intelligence and are never shared with the employer individually. We do not report results from groups of fewer than five participants. The employer sends the survey link but cannot see who responded, what they said, or how many completed at any point.
No single person at Pipeline Intelligence determines the outcome. All evidence is presented to the independent council for collective review. The council's conclusion is final. This structure protects organisations from individual assessor bias and protects the standard from commercial pressure, the value of Thrive depends entirely on its integrity.
Yes. We can raise a formal invoice to your billing contact with 30-day payment terms. Let us know when you get in touch. Card payment via Stripe is also available.