The Apprentice & Graduate Engagement Partner (AGEP) is a trusted expert within the business, responsible for championing, supporting, and enabling high‑quality apprenticeship and graduate delivery across Thames Water and its supply chain.

Working collaboratively with colleagues at all levels, the AGEP actively promotes our apprenticeship and graduate pathways and acts as a consistent point of contact for apprentices, graduates, and their mentors throughout their entire journey.

The AGEP plays a critical role in ensuring each apprentice’s and graduate’s success, providing visible support from pre‑programme engagement, through on‑programme delivery, to post‑programme progression. They take ownership for creating an engaging, purposeful, and well‑structured experience that leads to strong outcomes and sustainable career pathways within Thames Water.

What you’ll be doing as an Apprentice & Graduate Engagement Partner

Work with Apprenticeships & Graduates Manager and the team in promoting and delivering our internal apprenticeship and graduate programme offer and appropriate standards to the business.
Work collaboratively with Internal stakeholders across the business to coordinate and deliver effective apprenticeship and graduate programmes in partnership with resourcing, HR and skills & Emerging Talent Teams
Work with the A&G Manager, Resourcing team, L&D team and other key internal stakeholders to deliver a coordinated end-to-end pre-employment, assessment and onboarding experience
Deliver structured on‑programme support for apprentices and graduates, coordinating AGEP reviews to align with provider activity and ensuring actions and outcomes are recorded and audit‑ready
Deliver targeted tutorials and group workshops to support apprentice and graduate development, capturing outcomes and impact. Ensure timely escalation and communication of any health & safety, wellbeing, progress or safeguarding concerns to Line Managers and HR to enable appropriate support
Ensure tailored pastoral support for apprentices and graduates facing additional barriers, coordinating appropriate interventions and equipping line managers, mentors and teams with the guidance needed to provide effective support
Build strong relationships with training provider tutors and assessors through regular, structured engagement to monitor apprentice progress, identify risks early, and agree on timely interventions. Escalate issues where required and maintain clear oversight of RAG status to support achievement and readiness for gateway and end‑point assessment
Ensure all apprentices and graduates are matched with an appropriate internal mentor, coordinate provider‑led mentor training and maintain regular check‑ins to support mentors and learners and address issues throughout the programme lifecycle
Work closely with HR consultants, line managers, and mentors to inform and support appropriate interventions to maximise engagement and achievement rates across our apprenticeship and graduate cohorts
Co-ordinate regular internal surveys to fully understand our apprentices’ and graduates' experience and feedback
Play a key role in celebrating apprentice and graduate success, including coordinating annual completion events and recognising achievements throughout the programme lifecycle

Base location: Reading - Hybrid

Working pattern: 36 Hours

What you should bring to the role
To thrive in this role, the essential criteria you’ll need are:

Experience in the delivery of successful apprenticeship and graduate programmes, including an understanding of apprenticeship standards, content, delivery and EPA requirements, Ofsted standards and regulatory compliance
Understand Management Information Systems to be able to demonstrate and monitor progression towards achievement targets
Experience in being responsible for own workload, diary management and working independently to tight schedules
Knowledge and experience in learner safeguarding and wellbeing
Experience of working with external stakeholders and managing day-to-day relationships
Ability to use own initiative and pay close attention to detail
Strong training knowledge with the ability to design and deliver training and briefing sessions to audiences at all levels

What’s in it for you?

Competitive salary of £51,245 per annum.
Annual Leave - 26 days holiday per year, increasing to 30 with the length of service (plus bank holidays)
Performance-related pay plan directly linked to company performance measures and targets.
Generous Pension Scheme through AON.
Access to lots of benefits to help you take care of you and your family’s health and wellbeing, and your finances – from annual health MOTs and access to physiotherapy and counselling, to Cycle to Work schemes, shopping vouchers and life assurance.

Find out more about our benefits and perks (Please note different T&Cs apply if on secondment)

Who are we?
We’re the UK’s largest water and wastewater company, with more than 16 million customers relying on us every day to supply water for their taps and toilets. We want to build a better future for all, helping our customers, communities, people, and the planet to thrive. It’s a big job, and we’ve got a long way to go, so we need help from passionate and skilled people, committed to making a difference and getting us to where we want to be in the years and decades to come.

Learn more about our purpose and values

Working at Thames Water
Thames Water is a unique, rewarding, and diverse place to work, where every day you can make a difference, yet no day is the same. As part of our family, you’ll enjoy meaningful career opportunities, flexible working arrangements and excellent benefits.

If you’re looking for a sustainable and successful career where you can make a daily difference to millions of people’s lives while helping to protect the world of water for future generations, we’ll be here to support you every step of the way. Together, we can build a better future for our customers, our region, and our planet.

Real purpose, real support, real opportunities. Come and join the Thames Water family. Why choose us? Learn more.

We’re committed to being a great, diverse, and inclusive place to work. We welcome applications from everyone and want to ensure you feel supported throughout the recruitment process. If you need any adjustments, whether that’s extra time, accessible formats, or anything else, just let us know. We’re here to help and support.

When a crisis happens, we all rally around to support our customers. As part of Team Thames, you’ll have the opportunity to sign up to support our customers on the frontline as an ambassador. Full training will be given for what is undoubtedly an incredibly rewarding experience. It’s also a great opportunity to learn more about our business and meet colleagues.

Disclaimer: Due to the high volume of applications we receive, we may close the advert earlier than the advertised date, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

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Apprentice & Graduate Engagement Partner