Vijay, Bioresources Plant Operator

How long have you worked for Wessex Water?

I have been working at Wessex Water for three years.

How did you apply?

I initially applied and interviewed for a ‘Kickstart’ role that I found out about on social media. I then got recommended internally for the apprenticeship.

What attracted you to Wessex Water in the first place?

The wide range of apprenticeships and courses seemed appealing as it looked like a great way to start my career. The many benefits such as the pension scheme also attracted me. One of the main things that attracted me to working for Wessex Water was the opportunity to be a part of a large organisation that has such a high reputation.

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

My job consists of the day-to-day running of bioresources sites. This includes running several different water recycling processes on site such as maintenance of primary and final sedimentation tanks, operation and maintenance of aeration plants, and operation of chemical processes.

Within bioresources, I have extra sludge treatment roles, such as the operation and maintenance of sludge centrifuges, sludge digestors, and operating gravity belt thickeners. The thing I enjoy most about my role is being able to work outdoors in a very active, hands-on environment.

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

I have worked in a couple of different areas around the company and therefore had the opportunity to see how people work in different ways. However, if there is one thing that remains common in all the areas, is the great level of teamwork and the bonds I have been able to create with colleagues. What I most like about working with my colleagues is that even though we are all from different backgrounds and of different ages, we all still get on very well and can have a laugh.

Why do you think Wessex Water is a great place to work?

From my experience, I believe that Wessex Water is a great place to work as it offers many opportunities in all different sectors of work, for people of different ages and skill sets.

There are many benefits of working for Wessex Water such as the pension scheme, many retailer discounts, car raffles, the Cycle2Work scheme, the pay grade skills matrix, and many more. The pay grade skills matrix is a somewhat guide that Wessex Water employees can use to allow them to gain different training and skills needed to climb up the pay grades.

What do you enjoy most when not working?

Outside of work, I enjoy travelling, exploring new countries, and learning about different cultures. I also go to music concerts and festivals. I have recently taken up a new interest in cars and enjoy tinkering with my car in my free time. I also enjoy spending time with my friends and family and playing football.

What qualifications did you need to get onto your apprenticeship? And what was the course like?

The qualifications I needed to get onto my apprenticeship were a pass in Maths and English Language. The coursework for my course is very heavy work-based, which makes it useful as I can easily transfer knowledge from my day-to-day work into my coursework.