There will be 45 places available on the paid six month programme across the Thames Water region with the possibility of a full time job with the company at the end if the trainee engineers pass the scheme.
The scheme will start in mid-January with the first recruits working at wastewater treatment sites. Opportunities will be available in clean water treatment and network engineering from next spring.
Each trainee will be paired with an experienced mentor and will be hands on in the day-to-day running of a sewage works, as well as maintaining equipment and problem solving.
Thames Water HR director Janet Burr said: “We’re extremely proud to be the first water company to offer traineeships. It’s well known there’s a skills gap on the horizon in engineering and a number of our more experienced employees are due to retire in the coming years. It’s important we plan ahead and nurture as many new and enthusiastic people as we can.”
The programme is specifically for school leavers with few qualifications and limited employment backgrounds. Thames Water already runs apprenticeship and graduate schemes.