National Career Development Month: The role of apprenticeships
November 4, 2024
Thames Water learners set outstanding achievement rate
December 12, 2024
As 2024 draws to a close, we are reflecting on our favourite highlights from the past year. This year has marked another year growth for Watertrain and we have celebrated a range of exciting achievements.
We became an award-winning training provider
Watertrain were awarded Small Supplier of the Year at the Northumbrian Water Group ‘Going the Extra Mile’ Awards 2024. This was a fantastic achievement for us, which recognised our committed provision of high-level people development and customer service.
We expanded our apprenticeships
Watertrain were approved as one of the first providers of two new apprenticeships this year. These apprenticeships included:
Our development of these apprenticeships has allowed us to enhance our apprenticeship provision capability and continue to provide our clients with training that is cost-effective and relevant to both role and sector needs.
Our learners set outstanding achievement rates
We are incredibly proud of the achievements of our learners over the past year. Watertrain enrolled 191 learners onto apprenticeship programmes in 2024 and their dedication to learning has enabled us to gain an 82% overall achievement rate, against a 57% national average.
We also became the first training provider to have learners complete the Level 4 Asset Manager apprenticeship. Our cohort from Thames Water set an impressive standard, with 100% of learners achieving and many obtaining a Distinction grade.
For a conversation about our apprenticeship delivery, please book a meeting below.
We received wonderful feedback
Watertrain is committed to providing unparalleled support to our learners and clients, and the feedback we receive is testament to the hard work of our team. Some of our favourite testimonials from this past year include:
“We have used Watertrain to help develop a programme for our Water Network Operative apprenticeships over the last few years to support the growth in utility works and future proof our labour requirements to deliver a wide variety of Water Distribution projects for the major national utilities and commercial clients. The collaboration between us has worked well in bringing youngsters into a challenging and rewarding career with the right skills and mindset to deliver a great contribution to our success.” – Mick Clark, OnSite
“Watertrain have been very supportive, but Paul in particular. He worked hard to make sure we had a good experience on the apprenticeship programme. Paul is very knowledgeable and supportive and very good at sharing his knowledge. It’s a good course.” – Christoper Shrubb, South West Water
“Since completing the qualification Connor, Tom and I were promoted from Level 3 Smart Network Technicians to Level 4 Network Improvement Analysts. More recently, Tom and I were promoted again to Level 6 Team Leads in Smart Networks and Leakage. In my opinion, your teaching, and the qualification itself, have given us the skills to succeed in these roles as well as making us viable candidates for the jobs in the first place.” – Marc Southam, Portsmouth Water
We welcomed new team members
To support our continued growth in 2024, we welcomed our new Learning Development Coach, Parminder Mann, and Functional Skills Tutor, Sona Chudasama, to the Watertrain team.
“I’ve been really impressed with the team ethic and camaraderie so far at Watertrain and I can already tell that I’m going to love working here.” – Parminder
“Making a difference is my key motivation. I love supporting learners to achieve their potential in English and Maths and I am happy to have joined a supportive team at Watertrain.” – Sona
If you are interested joining our team, please contact info@watertrain.co.uk to learn about our available roles.
Our team championed charity
The Watertrain team, along with staff from RSK Group, returned to the ‘It’s a Knockout’ charity event at Birchwood Park, Warrington. All the money raised from the event went to Birchwood Parks chosen charity, Peace and Mind UK.
Our team led the way in industry excellence
Watertrain’s Learning Development Coach, Paul Standing, celebrated 20 years’ experience in 2024 and is currently the longest standing EUSR’s National Water Hygiene (NWH) card holder. Paul is an exceptional example of how dedication, adaptability and the drive for continuous learning can be key to achieving success after making a significant impact in the water industry.
Well done, Paul!
A note from our Managing Director, Keri Davies
“2024 has been an exciting year for Watertrain. We have enrolled 191 apprentices onto their water industry apprenticeship programmes; including developing two new standards:
- Level 3 Water Treatment Technician
- Level 2 Drainage Network Operative
We are excited to support new clients in rolling out their training programmes. We are extremely proud to be the first training provider to have learners complete the Level 4 Asset Management Apprenticeship Standard. It has been a pleasure to see what these Thames Water learners have accomplished. 100% of learners achieved, many with obtaining a Distinction – well done on these fantastic results! 111 apprentices have achieved their apprenticeship programmes this year. We wish them well in what will hopefully be a long and successful career in the water industry.
Another highlight of 2024 was “It’s a Knockout”, a team from Watertrain and RSK completed a number of obstacle course events to raise money for charity.
Finally, I’d like to finish by saying a big well done to the Watertrain team winning “Small Supplier of the Year” at NWL Going the Extra Mile awards. It is fantastic to be recognised for the high-level of people development and customer service we provide our clients. Congratulations to the whole team who work tirelessly to support our apprentices enabling them to succeed.”
Watertrain would like to wish you all the very best for 2025 and we look forward to celebrating more achievements in the new year!
For a conversation about how we could support your organisation next year through our apprenticeships and qualifications, please contact info@watertrain.co.uk or call 03330 431 431.
