Project Engineer Review
at Thames Water
Degree Apprenticeship
Electronic and Electrical Engineering
Reading
Review Submitted: March 2025
Overall Rating
2.2 /5
The Overall Rating is the average of all the ratings given in each category. We take those individual ratings and combine them into one final score!
2.5/5
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Overview of Role
3/5
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Skills Development
1.6/5
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Structure and Support
Overview of Role
Please give an overview of your role and what this involves on a day-to-day basis:
4/5
I manage and provide technical support for MEICA projects in clean water production. This involves scoping, procuring, project managing, supervision, H&S audits, and stakeholder management.
To what extent do you enjoy your programme?
1/5
I am an internal applicant for the degree apprenticeship so the apprenticeship programme doesn't relate to me in my job at TW so this question doesn't really apply to me. As a result, I have not received any support for my role other than in relation to newbury college and general queries about the course. I have however been able to guide myself throughout this apprenticeship and find avenues to improve my results at college with support from colleagues. Again, this question isn't really suitable for me so my rating is very low as a result.
Skills Development
Have you learnt any new skills or developed existing skills?
3/5
Yes, I have been able to learn more about water production in relation to Electrical and Electronic engineering whilst also building a strong foundation in all MEICA areas.
Structure and Support
How well organised/structured is your programme?
1/5
Just like question 3, it isn't structured for me as an internal applicant. I was working at TW 6/7 years already before getting this opportunity so the "apprenticeship programme" does not apply to me day-to-day even though I believe it should.
How much support do you receive from your employer?
1/5
I receive good support from my manager to help balance my day-to-day job as well as coursework/assignment requirements. I have not been able to get a mentor in any of the 4 years and I have no direct support in design as TW does not do design, we outsource.
How much support do you receive from your training provider when working towards your qualifications?
2/5
Good support overall in all the years and understanding of TW's design limitations however, this year has been appalling and alongside all the other students in my year, we raised a complaint in February to review the poor teaching, lesson planning, and assignment organisation to name a few of the main issues. Since then it has improved but this has set up back massively in our final year. The rating is reflective of this.
How well do you feel that your qualification (through your training provider) helps you to perform better in your role?
3/5
I believe it has helped me understand how to produce documentation, define requirements, understand design considerations and have respect for many areas in engineering. It has helped me be more confident in my ability as a project engineer and has taught me to be more of a self-starter in relation to my answers to q3 and q4.
Are there extra-curricular activities to get involved in at your work? (For example, any social activities, sports teams, or even professional networking events.)
1/5
Yes and no. As per Q3 and Q4, I am not really considered an apprentice in the traditional sense and as a result, much of the apprenticeship networking slips through the gaps for apprentices who applied internally. I have been invited to some events but mostly, we are missed from invites as a result of this.
Recommendations & Advice
Would you recommend Thames Water to a friend?
Yes
Why?
From my 11 years experience at TW, it is a great place to work to build skills, relationships, and to find out what you want to become. TW gave me this opportunity to get a degree and i'm very grateful for that and not many other companies would offer that.
What tips or advice would you give to others applying to Thames Water?
If they are applying for an apprenticeship, then my advice is to stick to core apprenticeships like project management, mechanical/electrical/civil engineering rather than design as we don't design. This is where I have struggled and have had to learn things without much support. Thames Water is a great company though for building knowledge and moving around the business into whichever role you decide you want and I never truly have felt squashed into any role and feel free to make my own decisions and to change course.
