Who are United Utilities?
We are known for keeping the taps flowing and toilets flushing throughout the North West, but we also pride ourselves on delivering excellent customer service, protecting and enhancing the environment and caring for our communities. We invest in the region to support future growth, address climate change and work in partnership to improve river health.
We are looking for motivated graduates from all backgrounds to help make the North West greener, healthier, and stronger. By joining our graduate scheme, you’ll play a crucial role in securing efficient, reliable water resources for customers across the North West.
Whichever scheme you join, you’ll be at the heart of bringing innovation and positive change to the water industry. Ready to live your future?
Why choose United Utilities for your graduate journey?
Career Progression Opportunities: Our graduate scheme offers clear pathways for advancement, structured programmes, and mentorship to help you develop into an outstanding leader. You’ll receive a tailored development programme, with opportunities for placements in other areas of the business.
Personal and Professional Development: You’ll have the chance to work within a highly motivated team, gaining a wealth of experience and creating a fantastic professional network. From specialist training to mentoring and coaching to internal support networks for LGBTQ+, Gender Equality and Neurodiversity, we’ll support you every step of the way. There is also potential for sponsorship for a master’s or other postgraduate qualifications.
Work-Life Balance: We understand the importance of maintaining a healthy work-life balance. Our flexible working policies and supportive work environment ensure you can achieve this balance while pursuing your career goals.
Our Reputation and Culture: United Utilities is proud to be one of the UK’s top inclusive employers. We are a responsible business that cares about delivering great customer service, protecting the environment, and investing in the region to support future growth.
Competitive Salary and Benefits: We offer a competitive starting salary of £30,000, 26 days of annual leave (increasing to 30 days after four years), plus bank holidays. Our benefits package includes private healthcare, discounted gym membership, flexible holidays, and an award-winning pension scheme.
About the scheme
Our three year Accredited Company Training Scheme (ACTS) is accredited through both IChemE and CIWEM. We provide a tailored experience covering all competencies required to progress you towards a permanent role within the company and chartership. As a graduate you will receive 1-2-1 line management, chartership and business mentoring, with the opportunity to work alongside teams from a number of engineering disciplines. We aim to offer you the broadest experience and opportunity to learn from some of the best across United Utilities.
Start living your future today!
What will I be doing?
- 6-12 months placements in a variety of business units, to understand how the business works as a whole, and provide a broad knowledge base.
- Develop your process engineering knowledge and design skills in water, wastewater and bio-resource treatment. Become familiar with the operations structure of United Utilities and how it interacts with engineering. You’ll develop an ability to troubleshoot operational issues, identify opportunities to optimise processes and provide engineering support to the operations team.
- Work with multidiscipline teams to deliver capital schemes to meet new environmental drivers, from initial data gathering through to commissioning.
- Develop skills to run pilot plants and operational trials, analyse and understand data to make recommendations on next steps.
- Develop your understanding and knowledge of process safety analysis techniques such ashazard and operability studies (HAZOP).
- Gain a working knowledge of the regulatory environment driving the business and operational decisions through first-hand experience and training.