Anglian Water delivers meaningful work experience to nearly 100 students across three high-impact, two‑day work experience events - the very first stage of the water company’s new approach to work experience that’s designed to unlock pathways that many young people would otherwise not get to see in the building of a thriving East of England. 

The Experience Anglian Water: Building for Better events immersed young people in the world of green skills, STEM careers and the infrastructure powering our region - many for the first time. They enabled students to spend time with Anglian Water teams, apprentices and engineers to understand the water industry’s crucial role in delivering safe and resilient services, supporting rapid population growth and planning for the future of water supply for generations to come.

The trio of events were held across three sets of dates in May and welcomed students from schools and colleges across the region. As part of their experience, students visited a range of operational sites including the Lincolnshire reservoir site – one of the biggest water resilience projects in the country - and water recycling centres in Cambridgeshire. 

Jacob Bulut, student at The Priory Academy LSST, said: “I thought it would be a lot more officey. I didn’t realise we’d be walking around - I thought we’d be in front of a computer and we’d see more digitally. And I’ve really enjoyed going to each of the stations, especially the one with the water [testing]... 

“I'm surprised about wet wipes, and how they get stuck. I didn’t really think people were flushing them down the toilets. I’ve always just ever put them in the bin. I do think it’s really opened my eyes to working towards a job at Anglian Water.” 

The events come at a time when demand for meaningful secondary school work experience is rising sharply, yet opportunities remain unevenly distributed. The approach set out in these events focuses on targeted, place-based experiences – helping more young people build understanding and aspiration in what can often be regarded as a complicated world of work experience. 

Amanda Billett, Careers Manager at The Priory Academy LSST, said: “We’re a big school. There have been changes to the request for work experience across the whole of the academy, rather than just the upper school. So, it’s really about trying to engage with as many local employers as we can and just to give the students as many opportunities as we can... 

“I've brought a group of year 10s and when we come back to school in September, they’ll start having meetings about their post-16 options. So, to learn as much as we can this year is a really good opportunity.” 

Across the event, students had a unique opportunity to explore careers spanning science, engineering, digital and data, frontline operations, environmental protection and innovation with Anglian Water teams, apprentices and engineers hands-on. 

When asked about their favourite part of the day, Alexis Parsons, student at The Priory Academy LSST, said: “Learning about the sewers and the wipes in sewers, and how people get the wipes out of the sewers with the hedgehogs. That’s really cool! They’re my favourite bit as well... 

“I never really considered it [a career in water] before, but with the engineering part of it, that might be a consideration for the future.” 

Louisa Hoe, HR People Development Manager at Anglian Water, said: “It was a pleasure to bring students across Lincoln, Wisbech and Peterborough together for a trio of energising and insightful events. 

“We're proud to be tackling the access to work experience that’s needed, more than ever for young people, head-on – not with token gestures, but with meaningful exposure to real people, real skills and real projects that are happening right now, all of which are on the doorsteps of these students' homes. We’re so pleased to be able to help in making a difference. 

“Now, we are exploring how we can best manage participation for future events, taking a place-based approach to ensure opportunities are delivered fairly for years to come.” 

Nick Fleming, Head of Skills at Anglian Water, said: “I have two roles in this - one as a parent of teenagers and the other as a HR professional, accountable for creating meaningful opportunities for young people in our communities. 

“My role as a parent means I know first-hand how much work experience matters to young people, their schools and families, and that it’s not always practically achievable for parents and students alike. My role at Anglian Water means I'm determined to ensure these experiences inspire young people into what work opportunities could be, and to create a pipeline of talented people who we'd love to see working with us in the future.  

“This event removed the practical barriers to participation by providing transport, lunch and personal protective equipment, ensuring every student invited had the opportunity to learn about the opportunities available to them.” 

Together, these events form part of Anglian Water’s Building for Better commitment – the water company’s biggest upgrade yet to help communities thrive by investing in future skills for a growing region. This comes following Anglian Water’s Skills for a Thriving East Summit, exploring how the East of England will get the skills it needs to take advantage of all opportunities. 

Following the success of the events, Anglian Water is looking at further opportunities in work experience to deepen impact, using its position as one of the region’s largest employers to support young people and local communities further.