Level 6 Catchment Partnership Officer Apprentice in Coalville

Are you ready to live your future? Do you want to be part of building a greener, healthier, and stronger North West? Come and join us! With a range of award-winning roles on offer, you’re sure to find your perfect career here at United Utilities. We’ll provide you with industry-leading skills and the experience you need to succeed in your chosen field.

Who are United Utilities? United Utilities is accountable for water and wastewater services in the North West of England. From 2025-2030 we will undertake the largest investment in water and wastewater services in the North West in 100 years - that’s more than £13 billion worth of projects. Now, more than ever, we need inspiring future talent to help make the North West stronger, greener, and healthier.

To support in our delivery, United Utilities is the UK’s largest commercial landowner with over 56,000 Ha of land in our stewardship. This includes some of the UK’s most valuable habitats. We own this land to ensure that the water that flows from it is of the highest quality but it also provides us with a great opportunity to manage and improve it to enhance the resilience and biodiversity in these catchments.

Whatever area of our business your interests lie in, our award-winning apprentice programme will give you first-class training and support, aligned with an in-depth understanding of your chosen business area – so that you can develop the skills you need to progress your career as you make a real contribution to the communities we serve.

Working in the North West means there’s a lot of ground to cover. You could have the opportunity to work in the heart of the Lake District, or you could sample a taste of city life. As well as our main office in Warrington, we also recruit for a variety of roles based across the North West; we have 575 wastewater treatment works and 96 water treatment works in areas from Crewe in Cheshire to Carlisle in Cumbria.

Whichever scheme you join, you’ll be at the heart of bringing innovation and positive change to the water industry. Ready to flow into your future with us?

Life as a United Utilities Apprentice: Our apprentices are well looked after, with a generous salary, 26 days of leave (excluding bank holidays), a £500 contribution towards learning to drive, and many more benefits. You’ll have a dedicated mentor and manager to support you every step of the way. All we ask is that you’re willing to learn, work well as part of a team, and manage your time and workload effectively.

As a Level 6 Catchment Partnership Officer Apprentice, you’ll learn how to:

• Identify, plan and deliver habitat restoration to exceed the requirements of our environmental improvement program, improving water quality, catchment resilience and biodiversity.
• Interact with partners delivering restoration on the ground, developing and maintaining strong professional relationships with all key stakeholders.
• Plan and track projects ensuring that catchment-based projects are delivering the required outcomes.
• Work effectively with other teams, understand risk and dependencies and work with others to resolve these and ensure effective delivery.
• Develop future plans to improve water catchment and the environmental condition of our land including the identification of suitable funding routes.

Your apprenticeship will last 60 months, and successful apprentices will achieve an Environmental Practitioner degree, endorsed by the Institute for Apprenticeships. You will attend university in block release. If you’re not local to your place of study, accommodation will either be provided or reimbursed by United Utilities during this period (excluding weekends). Please consider travel requirements and staying away from home if applicable.

What we’re looking for: We’re looking for someone keen to gain hands-on experience, develop practical skills, and achieve the standards needed to succeed in this role. You’ll need to have:

• 5 GCSEs or equivalent, grades A-C or grades 9-4, which must include Maths, English and a Science or Technology subject.
• A full UK driving licence at time of application.
• A strong interest in land management.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to liaise with many different internal and external stakeholders.
• The ability to recognise and reconcile different priorities to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes.
• Good organisational skills and the ability to ensure that work is prioritised and managed through to completion.
• A strong understanding of biodiversity and water pollution issues.
• Awareness of the water industry and its regulators.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills and be comfortable dealing with people from across the organisation.
• Good analytical skills and be able to draw appropriate conclusions from relevant data.
• Computer literate.
• Enthusiasm to gain hands-on experience, develop practical skills and achieve the qualifications needed to succeed in the role.
• Willing to work as part of a team and ability to manage time and workload to get things done.

Why choose us to kickstart your career? Secure your future – Every apprentice is guaranteed a permanent position at the end of their scheme. A springboard to your career – You’ll receive structured training, a dedicated mentor, and high-quality learning to help shape your career. Inspire the next generation – You’ll have the chance to represent United Utilities at key events across the region, engaging with young people to bring careers in the water industry to life. Reward and benefits – There are lots of perks, including a competitive starting salary of £21,000, which will increase each year based on performance. Be part of the UU family – You’ll have the chance to network, bond, and learn from your colleagues and fellow apprentices as long as you meet all necessary standards and behaviour criteria throughout the programme.

We need fantastic people to help us deliver a great service to the public. We are committed to reaching and recruiting from every community, supporting our employees to achieve their full potential, and ensuring everyone feels valued and included, regardless of gender, age, race, disability, sexual orientation, or social background.

Additional Information: Please check and ensure that you are comfortable with the following points before you apply:

• It is essential that you live within a reasonable commuting distance of the core location of your apprenticeship.
• As part of your induction, you will attend a residential trip in the Lake District. This is a fantastic opportunity to develop your skills in a beautiful setting with your fellow apprentices. Accommodation and boarding will be provided.
• During your apprenticeship, you may need to travel to your place of study. If you’re not local to your place of study, accommodation will either be provided or reimbursed by United Utilities during this period (excluding weekends). Please consider travel requirements and staying away from home if applicable.
• Depending on the role that you are applying for, our recruitment process may require you to complete: An Online application form, Online tests, An in-person interview (and presentation) or assessment centre, A technical test.
• If you are offered a job with us, a number of pre-employment checks will need to be carried out before your appointment can be confirmed. Any offer of employment with United Utilities will be subject to a satisfactory report from the Disclosure Scotland/ the Disclosure and Barring Service.