Graduate Profile - Laura

Name: Laura Cliff
Job Title: Graduate Management Trainee – Water Services
Date started on Graduate scheme: January 2011
Degree details: BSc Hons Geography 2:1

Describe your current role in three words:
Diverse
Challenging
Rewarding

What inspires, motivates, or gets you excited about your job on a daily basis?

Anglian Water provides a vital resource to millions of people in the region and, as a member of the Water Generalist Graduate Scheme, I am able to play a part in the delivery of wholesome Water to our customers. Being excited by my job and being able to say that I enjoy coming to work is important to me and it is no lie that I look forward to coming to work to be involved in and contribute to the success of Anglian Water.

I am also constantly inspired by the wealth of knowledge that Anglian Water employees have of the Water Industry. This is my constant driver; the concept of learning and having the ability to pass on my own knowledge.

What have been the biggest challenges you have faced so far in the role?

One of the biggest challenges I have faced on the graduate program is starting new placements. Whilst I look forward to it, I also find it nerve wracking. Every team is unique and therefore it’s important to find ways to relate and communicate effectively with everyone you work with. Having this skill is key to becoming a successful manager of people, so I challenge myself to work on this every day.

How did you arrive in your present post?

Like so many students finishing University, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do or what career path to take. I loved the outdoors, practical modules at University and knew I wanted a job where I could be hands on.

After trawling through hundreds of job adverts, Anglian Water’s Graduate Management Programme caught my eye. Having read the profiles from previous graduates and realising the opportunities available to Anglian Water Graduates were huge – I didn’t think twice about applying!

A typical working day in the life of Laura Cliff, a Water Generalist Graduate at Anglian Water

06:30

A 9am start would be lovely, but my day starts a little before this! 6:30am – My alarm goes off for the fifth time after hitting snooze for 15 minutes (I will never believe those people that say they enjoy mornings!). Eventually I drag myself out of bed and get ready, I make a flask of coffee (in case I’m out on site all day) and some grab breakfast to have at work. I get in the car about 7:15am and arrive on site at about 8ish depending on traffic.

08:30

First job of the day is to get the kettle on for a cuppa and boot up the computer. I spend about an hour checking e-mails, finding out whether there had been any problems over night with the water network. I have a few e-mails to read that have come in since I left work yesterday. One e-mail is from the overnight Duty Manager which informs me that there has been a burst water main in one of the local towns.

10:00

Today I’ve made some time available to spend out on site visiting Technicians on jobs. So it’s back in the car, put my Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) on and drive to the repair job that is currently underway – the repair teams are fixing the burst main that occurred during the night. This is done by fixing a clamp onto the existing pipe to restrict water escaping. Being on site to see the job being done, getting involved and helping where possible is the best way to learn.

12:00

Good job I made that flask of coffee…it can get chilly being outside so it’s always nice to have a warm drink. After a catch up with the Technicians on site, I make my way back to the office.

13:00

My first meeting of the afternoon is with a colleague from the Corporate Communications Team. I am working closely with them in attempt to improve the literature we send out to our customers. Our aim is to make the information that they receive clearer and more concise. Over the last couple of weeks I have          been reviewing all the leaflets, e-mails and letters we send to customers if they have a water leak on their supply pipe or are having problems with their water pressure for example. Luckily this meeting was short and sweet and I grab a sandwich before my next meeting at 2:00 pm.

14:00

I’ve now got a meeting with the Water Supply Team about taking a water tower out of service so it can be cleaned. It is essential that my water networks team are involved with this so we can redirect/rezone the water to keep our customers with water and ensure there is no interruption to their supplies. The modelling teams use GIS computer systems to model flow rates and how this will impact our pipe work.

15:00

Time for a quick breather! I usually spend a bit of time in between meetings and  site visits looking at our intranet site. It’s always useful to keep up to date with what the business is doing so as not to become too enclosed in one aspect of the company. The Water White Paper has been published in the last couple of days so I’m working my way through reading this too…even if just a few pages each day!

16:30

Before I start thinking about home time, I have a customer to call back; we have some work planned on the Water Network meaning we have warned customers that their water may go off for 2 hours while we complete the work. I speak to the customer and reassure them of the time and date of the work and thank them for their understanding.

17:00

Tonight is the launch of Anglian Water's FOG Campaign (Fats, Oils and Greases) which aims to reduce the waste that the town of Peterborough tips into their sewers. Although I am dedicated to Water Services, I’ll swing by to support the Campaign for the Wastewater Teams. It’s a really good lights display that is    projected onto the Guild Hall in Peterborough town centre.

19:30

Home time!

I am constantly inspired by the wealth of knowledge that Anglian Water employees have of the water industry. This is my constant driver; the concept of learning and having the ability to pass on my own knowledge.

LauraGraduate Management Trainee - Water Services