With billions being invested in water infrastructure, Anglian Water’s Amanda Bridger argues that building the workforce to deliver it starts with making careers in the sector visible and accessible to a much wider pool of young people
Mention a career in construction and infrastructure to a group of young adults from secondary school to higher education, and you’ll rarely hear the words “water industry”. Over the next decade, our industry is going to need an abundance of new engineers, data specialists, project managers, technical leads, labourers, to name just a few.
The reality is that many young people have simply never been shown that these careers exist or made aware of the opportunities that are out there for them.
At Anglian Water, we are in the middle of an £11 billion investment programme, which supports the improvement of water security, protects the environment, increases resilience and supports the continued growth of communities across the East of England.
When we turn on a tap, we rarely think about the engineers, technicians, scientists and operational teams working behind the scenes to make it possible. But delivering a resilient water system isn’t just about pipes, pumps and reservoirs – it’s about having the people with the skills to design, operate, maintain and improve them.
If we continue to recruit from the relatively small pool of people who already know the water industry exists as a viable career option, we risk putting unnecessary pressure on the talent pipeline and missing out on diverse talent pools as this programme accelerates.
Solutions before job applications
We believe the solution starts long before anyone applies for a job, and ensuring access to work experience and early career opportunities is not determined by where someone lives.
So far this year, we have hosted work experience events for around 100 young people in the East of England, added more than 30 individual placements and internship opportunities, and put five students through T-level industry placements with our @one Alliance. We also built a virtual work experience platform so we can reach significantly more young people, wherever they live.
It’s clear our approach is working in a real-world context. The first student to come through a T-level placement has just started their Civil Engineering Degree Apprenticeship with us. We’re not suggesting that one example is going to fix an industry-wide problem, but it is tangible evidence that exposing more young people to the industry can translate into real career opportunities.
That’s also why we’ve just launched our biggest-ever graduate programme across Anglian Water, our Alliances, the @one Alliance and Strategic Pipeline Alliance and our Reservoir Programme. With more roles available for 2027 than ever, there are opportunities in engineering, commercial, digital and data, sustainability and operational leadership.
We need to do more to make these pathways visible and show people how their existing experience can translate into a career helping to build and protect the infrastructure our communities rely on.
Reaching those furthest away
We are now also going a step further, building dedicated routes for young people who are not currently in education, employment or training (NEET), with 15 places available this October and a further 15 planned for the new year. We are also working with our @one Alliance partners to develop further work experience programmes, expand placement and internship opportunities, and create more routes into employment.
This work forms part of a broader regional commitment agreed at the Skills for a Thriving East Summit, with the ambition of reducing the East of England’s NEET rate to 3% by 2030.
It also includes opportunities linked to the Green Skills Academy at the College of West Anglia, the dedicated college Anglian Water and its alliance partners supported through £2 million of funding to develop the green skills needed for a more sustainable future, alongside enhanced virtual learning and career exploration opportunities.
Reducing the NEET rate is certainly an ambitious goal, but one that we believe is achievable if employers, education providers and regional partners work together to create genuine routes into work.
An industry-wide responsibility
None of this can be solved by Anglian Water alone. The scale of investment ahead of us means every water company, contractor and delivery partner has a role to play in making the industry visible to the next generation.
If we want to build the infrastructure our communities will need, we also have to build the workforce that will deliver it. And that starts by making sure more young people know that a career in water is a career they can choose.
Amanda Bridger is director of people at Anglian Water
