Hannah, Apprentice Civil Engineer

What attracted you to Wessex Water and how did you hear about your role?

My interest in engineering has always been strong. Originally, I wanted to pursue a civil engineering degree directly after sixth form, but my GCSE grades didn’t allow me to do a maths A Level, so I had to find a different way. The apprenticeship option provided an alternative route to reach the same destination.

I heard about Wessex Water apprenticeships through social media and researching local apprenticeships in school. Then, I attended a Wessex Water open day in October 2022 and from there I did a speed interview but for a different department and learned about the application process. I filled in my application and got chosen to do four group interviews, progressed through to do three solo interviews and ultimately got the position within the Treatment Design team as an Apprentice Civil Engineer. I then did three weeks of training, including CID, working at height, COSHH and first aid, before I began my day job.

What does your job entail and what do you most enjoy about the role?

At the moment, I’m involved in treatment and Mechanical and Electrical (M&E) design within the civil engineering field.

A typical day involves a lot of problem-solving and communicating with other teams involved in the treatment process to decide what would be best for a site. At the moment, this is all for Asset Management Period 8 (AMP8). My team is involved in optioneering to detailed design before it gets passed on to later stages.

We have Lead Design Engineers who lead these AMP8 schemes. Another part of my team works on hydraulic modelling. Although I’m not doing this personally yet, hydraulic modelling is done for varying reasons. If we are told there’s an issue on site you can create a model to see where the issue is and what changes can affect it. It can also be used for future proposed changes to see if it’s feasible. It uses specific software that bypasses the need to do lots of calculations by putting in set parameters, therefore increasing efficiency and ease.

Personally, I am also assisting on an invasive species scheme where we are aiming to install boot scrubs, dip tanks and boat washdowns. Through this, I have learned a lot about the wider role which includes utility services, asset drawings, location drawings, pre-construction information, site waste arisings management plans and more.

Tell us about your team and what you like most about working with them

I chose the role given the fact everyone needs water – it’s a job for life. The industry will always be relevant, and you can’t escape its importance. Additionally, because it’s such a large industry you have the flexibility to move between job roles and explore different areas, there are tremendous opportunities. Overall, I believe it’s a vast and impactful industry.

This role is quite challenging, especially as an apprentice but the benefits outweigh this for me. I like working in a team environment and it's always possible to get a second opinion and discuss things as a group. The amount of problem-solving that has to be done keeps me engaged and stops the job from becoming repetitive.

Within Wessex Water there are also always learning opportunities available through our learning platform, as well as presentations at lunch times.

Where do you see your career progressing in the next five years?

In the next five years, hopefully, I will be completing my Level 6 civil engineering degree and my apprenticeship. In hand with this, I hope I will be able to lead my own projects in the future and expand my knowledge even more.