Undergraduates get an opportunity for experience with leading businesses

A group of leading businesses is offering year-long, paid placements for undergraduates with an interest in Engineering or the Built Environment sectors, with opportunities available in the North East, as well as in Essex and Suffolk.

Northumbrian Water, Esh-Stantec, Turner & Townsend, Interserve, MMB, Wood and IWS (Integrated Water Services) are running the joint programme for 12 months, starting in September.

Opportunities in the East of England will be available through Essex & Suffolk Water, which is part of Northumbrian Water Group, and IWS' southern operations.

Depending upon ongoing Covid restrictions, the programme will remain flexible, but it is hoped that during the course of the placements, students will rotate their time among the participating businesses.

Successful applicants will gain skills while working on Northumbrian Water projects and receive the voluntary living wage.

Richard Woodhouse, capital delivery programme manager at Northumbrian Water, said: "Across the last six years, we have had some amazing young people come through our placements programme, and some have even obtained full-time employment among the group of companies as a result.

"So, these placements are a real opportunity for those successful applicants to come in and not only learn, but to make a real contribution and a lasting mark on the companies and projects involved. We are really excited to meet the young people who come through this year's application process and to share in their development as they start their careers."

Applicants should send a CV and covering letter, which can be accompanied by a supporting vlog if they choose, to NWG.academy@nwl.co.uk by 19 March 2021.

Candidates for the year-long programme must be available to work in the 12-month period from September 2021 to August 2022.