Based out of our head office in Clearwater Court, Reading, Daniel is currently studying towards his degree in Project Management at the University of Cumbria on day release once a week. In the remainder of Daniel’s week, he can be found in the workplace and across Thames Water sites, part of a team to improve our wastewater sites across Thames Valley Central.
As a visual learner, I have never been an academic, performing best by learning on the job. I had high aspirations and realised that, without the necessary experience, it would be difficult to land the position I desired. Thames Water granted me this opportunity, willing to take a chance on me. I knew little of what the role truly would involve, but Thames’ genuine interest in me, my learning, and my professional development simply made it an easy decision to go for it.
Given the high-level nature of this role and it being so early in the programme, there is a lot to learn. That said, my mentors thought it best to involve me in everything to, in their words, “live and breathe projects”. This has been a stimulating and positively challenging journey so far to say the least! Participating in/contributing to a variety of project meetings; visiting our sites; updating programme trackers; reviewing project deliverables (e.g. documents) and keeping an eye on the project risk register are just a few of my daily tasks; there are countless more responsibilities behind the scenes.
Meanwhile, I am consistently dedicating a portion of my time to my studies. Whether attending lectures and seminars, reading or revising, or working on assignments – it is paramount to remain organised at all times to manage the office-study workload to produce excellent output for both my office responsibilities as well as my studies.
Soon to be finishing school in a rural environment, I struggled to determine what career I was aiming for; I had no clear vision of where I wanted to be in the years after school. I knew for certain that I wanted to learn on-the-job, but apprenticeships seemed like ‘gold-dust’ to me, an option that I did not feel was available to me. Feeling I had no other option, I decided to study law at university, thinking this would later lead me to numerous opportunities.
Upon finishing 2nd year I struggled to settle into the university environment. The ‘one size fits all’ way of teaching did not suit me at all. Changing career path was tough. Transitioning to Jaguar Land soon became an essential stage of my career progression. The year spent in a sales environment provided me with the necessary foundational skills to later achieve my long-term goals.
Fast-forward to February 2024, applying for this programme has been the best decision of my career. My previously mentioned ‘mentors’ are the managers/team around me who are constantly working to support me. Their passion and dedication to my own professional development is unlike anything I have ever experienced in all of my work experience(s) (many not mentioned here). To anyone considering a career with Thames, I hope this insight into my experience can shed light on the value that I have found working here.
