A company which has its headquarters in Letchworth and another firm in Stevenage have been rated among the best in the country to work for.

Construction company Willmott Dixon, which has offices in Letchworth and Hitchin, has come fourth in the 19th annual edition of The Sunday Times 100 Best Companies To Work For list.

The list is based on an extensive confidential survey of more than 250,000 staff in organisations across the country, with areas assessed including leadership, staff wellbeing, giving something back and personal growth.

Highlighting data, the judges said: “Employees have no wish to leave this family-run outfit with an 87 per cent positive score, first on this measure.”

Feedback also shows staff value the chance to learn and grow with the company, which has a training programme with over 50 modules for personal growth, plus a personal learning fund of £750 for its employees to learn a new skill.

The Construction Industry Training Board has predicted about 168,500 construction jobs will be created in the UK over the next five years.

Willmott Dixon’s chief executive, Rick Willmott, said: “The CITB has highlighted the skill challenge construction is facing. To fill this gap, we need a larger proportion of young people to choose construction as their career. It’s a tough task as we’re competing with every other sector to attract the best talent, so achieving such a high place in The Sunday Times Best Companies list is one way we can help our industry stand out as a great place to work.”

Willmott Dixon, which has 1,693 employees, also picked up the award for Developing Potential for its work in helping those from disadvantaged backgrounds find work in the construction industry.

Stevenage-based defence engineering company MBDA is ranked 11th in The Sunday Times 25 Best Big Companies To Work For in the UK, competing against other organisations with 3,000 plus employees.

HR director Aileen Randhawa said: “I am delighted. To finish 11th is testament to the positive and supportive working environment we have created in MBDA UK, together with the high levels of engagement we have developed with our people.”

The judges said: “The people at Hertfordshire-based MBDA are proud to work for this military hardware operation – a 78 per cent positive score.”

MBDA is planning to recruit about 500 personnel this year, including more than 350 in Stevenage.