Anglian Water's @one Alliance
Andrew Pakes MP meets Anglian Water apprentices for National Apprenticeship Week
Andrew Pakes MP meets Anglian Water apprentices for National Apprenticeship Week
Earlier this week Anglian Water apprentices welcomed a visit from Peterborough MP Andrew Pakes to the water company’s Peterborough office to celebrate National Apprenticeship Week.
The meeting comes after Anglian Water announced a record-breaking recruitment drive for apprentices this week. With 130 roles on offer across Anglian Water and its alliances – the largest pool ever offered by the company, and more than double last year’s intake – people across the East of England have a unique opportunity to get involved with transformative change for their region.
Having already recruited its 2026 finance apprentices and digital degree apprentices, Anglian Water is now offering a variety of roles over the next few months, from data analysts to tanker drivers and field-based operational technicians, as it looks to deliver a record £11 billion package of investment into the region’s water and sewerage networks by 2030.
Roles available include: water recycling treatment and water supply field-based roles, field-based Maintenance Technicians, Operational Technology roles, Quantity Surveyors, Data Analysts and Commercial roles and one of the water company’s newest apprenticeships, for tanker driver roles.
Andrew Pakes MP met with four current apprentices from the company, in roles ranging from Quantity Surveyor and Civil Engineering Degree Apprenticeships to Maintenance Technician and Operations Apprentices, as well as former apprentices now in full-time roles with the business.
Andrew Pakes, MP for Peterborough, said:
“Visiting Anglian Water during National Apprenticeship Week was a great opportunity to meet apprentices who are playing a vital role in delivering essential services across the region. The scale of Anglian Water’s programme, recruiting 130 apprentices this year across a wide range of technical and operational roles, shows a strong commitment to developing future skills and supporting local career opportunities.
“It was inspiring to hear how apprentices are contributing fresh ideas and building long-term careers, and I heard that 86% stay on after completing their programme. Anglian Water’s investment in digital, green and specialist skills demonstrates how employers, training providers and policymakers can work together to strengthen local resilience and support the workforce of the future.”
The East of England region is home to four of the fastest growing cities in the country, as well as nationally-significant projects such as the Oxford-Cambridge Growth Corridor, Sizewell C and the proposed Universal Studios theme park in Bedford. Successful delivery of these and other projects will require major investment in modern, resilient water infrastructure.
Anglian Water is gearing up for its largest-ever year of investment from April, as £1.6 billion of improvements are set to be made to the region’s water and sewerage infrastructure in the second year of a five-year business plan, worth £11 billion overall. In order to deliver this plan, the company will need to recruit thousands of new employees, including up to 800 apprentices – many of them into green jobs.
New apprentices are key to the delivery of such an ambitious plan, and will quickly be rolling their sleeves up, getting hands-on experience as part of a team – building for better by protecting the East of England’s water resources, supporting local communities, and shaping a sustainable future.
Anglian’s CEO, Mark Thurston, began his career as an apprentice railway engineer. Mark said:
“At Anglian Water, we’re committed to building a diverse workforce that reflects the communities we serve. We are passionate about giving people from all walks of life access to opportunities to enable them to thrive. I started my career as a technical apprentice and would encourage anyone who would like to work at Anglian, at a pivotal time for the water industry, to apply. Water is critical to enabling economic growth and four of the country’s fastest growing cities are in the East of England. Join us and be part of Britain’s future.”
Nick Fleming, Head of Skills External Engagement at Anglian Water, said:
“We’re excited to offer people the opportunity to be part of transforming the region they live and work in, all while earning as they learn.
“This is our biggest apprentice recruitment drive to date – more than double last year’s intake – with a wide range of roles available. We hope candidates will see this as the start of a really exciting career. Whatever your age or previous experience, we’ll welcome your application. Over the last five years alone, we’ve had more than 500 apprentices join us, and we’re very proud that 86% of people who’ve completed an apprenticeship with us are still here after 10 years, which is a testament to the investment we make in giving local people valuable skills.”
Apprenticeship applications open over a phased approach from now until the end of June 2026. Opportunities to join Anglian Water as it delivers this revolutionary investment programme aren’t just limited to apprenticeships. While the company’s apprentice roles are open to all ages and experience levels, it also runs dedicated programmes for those looking to retrain, such as its @one Alliance’s Training Schools. It also opened applications for its graduate recruitment programme in October, and is set to run tailored work experience sessions for younger people this spring, in partnership with selected schools.
Civil Engineer
Apply NowJoin the @one Alliance – a collaborative partnership of eight industry‑leading companies (Anglian Water, Balfour Beatty, Barhale, Binnies, MMB, MWH Treatment, Skanska, and SWECO) delivering over half of Anglian Water’s capital investment programme. As we prepare for the challenges and opportunities of AMP8, we’re looking for talented individuals to help us shape the future of water infrastructure.
At Anglian Water, we’re Always Exploring – ensuring we remain competitive, attractive, and rewarding for both existing and prospective employees. By Doing The Right Thing, we’re committed to recognising and rewarding our people fairly and transparently, while Building Trust through a culture that prioritises health, safety, and wellbeing.
Your Purpose
As a Civil Engineer within one of our four business units, you’ll create and develop value-driven civil designs that achieve our capital investment programme outcomes and deliver value.
Under the direction of the Project Design Manager, you’ll deliver a range of Civil Engineering projects which not only continues to provide the region with safe drinking water, but be involved in pioneering and environmentally- focussed work which enhances our region’s prosperity now and in years to come.
What You’ll Be Doing
- Production of civil designs, calculations and specifications for water-sector assets, design schedule and specify pipes, including ductile iron, steelwork and plastic.
- Working within multi-discipline design teams to produce designs which are on time, within budget and meet the required standards, liaising with stakeholders including Operations, contractors, and suppliers along the way.
- Drive excellence in Health and Safety in design by eliminating hazards and reducing risks during design whilst complying with Alliance CDM procedures.
- Progress projects from feasibility stage through detailed design to construction.
- Undertake site visits to assess current condition of our assets for feasibility studies, reports and provide survey data for integration of the asset into our design solution.
- Provide support to update existing, and increase the number of, Standard Products that are used within our design solutions on a repeatable basis.
- Identify and promote opportunities to meet the project digital, sustainability, innovation and people objectives.
About You
You will ideally have:
- BEng or MEng/MSc Degree in Civil or Structural Engineering, ideally working towards attaining Chartered Engineer status
- Good knowledge and experience of undertaking structural calculations for various concrete structures, and demonstrable experience in undertaking design of various civil engineering structures
- Experience with relevant engineering design software packages
- Confident in the utilisation of British Standards and Eurocodes and have the ability to interpret ground investigation reports to enable you to design the correct solution
- Team work and collaboration skills
- Strong reporting writing and data analysis skills
- Ability to professionally challenge current ways of working and suggests new approaches
Depending on your skills, experience, and interests, you could be aligned to one of our four business units:
Place Based Thinking
The Place Based Thinking team delivers some of the largest and most complex projects across the @one Alliance. Made up of six Senior Project Manager teams, we oversee 19 catchments, covering key sites such as Whitlingham, Flag Fen, Great Billing, Cotton Valley, Bedford, Colchester, and Ipswich Cliff Quays. These projects involve managing all parts of the network from rising and gravity mains, pumping stations, high spilling overflows, and water recycling centres.
Water
The Water Business Unit provides strategic support across the clean water network, covering both system performance and infrastructure planning. We assess the future hydraulic state of the network in response to population growth and increased demand, support the design and delivery of capital and infrastructure schemes to ensure hydraulic resilience, and work with optimisation teams to enhance overall network efficiency.
Water Recycling (East and West)
Our Water Recycling Business Unit, split into East and West regions, is responsible for the collection, conveyance, and treatment of wastewater across an extensive network. We operate over 76,000 km of sewerage infrastructure and 1,163 treatment centres, ensuring safe and sustainable discharge to the environment while driving innovation and environmental performance.
Why Join Us?
This is a fantastic opportunity to work with one of the UK’s most successful capital delivery alliances. You’ll have the chance to contribute to cutting‑edge projects that shape the future of water infrastructure, working alongside a team of experts across various disciplines. We offer a culture that values innovation, continuous learning, and professional growth, with a focus on delivering sustainable solutions that make a positive environmental impact.
At Anglian Water’s @one Alliance, we believe in being Safer Every Day
Safety is at the heart of everything we do. Being Safer Every Day means making positive choices, moment by moment, to protect ourselves and those around us. We create a culture where health, safety and wellbeing come first.
Together, we will be the change
