The water company has recruited 80 new apprentices, out of more than 800 who applied for its scheme. The new apprentices will placed across the whole business, in various engineering, customer relations and digital roles.
Amy Barber, new talent and development manager at Severn Trent, said: “We’re absolutely delighted to have 80 brand new apprentices on board. We took 28 last year so to fill an additional 52 places is great news.
“With the water industry changing so much over the next few years, it really is an exciting time to join the company. Our new apprentices have come from a mix of backgrounds – some are entering the world of work for the first time and some are starting on a new career path, but everyone will have the opportunity to learn, while earning at the same time.”
There are four main role disciplines in the apprentice scheme: utilities engineering technician, utilities operation technician, asset creation (engineering) and digital/information systems. Apprentices spend two to three years learning and developing their skills, both on the job and at college, while earning a competitive salary – currently £15,000 a year.
“This year is the first time we have apprentices joining us at degree level, as well as at advanced and higher level apprenticeships,” said Barber. “And we’ve also given our apprentice scheme a boost – our new joiners will have visibility across the business, right from the start.
“They will be working across our region with experts, other apprentices and graduates, adapting quickly to the pace and scale of what we do so they’ll have the chance to make an impact right at the start of their career. We hope our apprentices will become experts in their field and have the scale of knowledge to become our future leaders.”