Apprentice Tanker Driver

Severn Trent Water; Stafford; On-site; GBP 20,000 - 30,000; Full time

Job summary

Join a forward-thinking company dedicated to providing essential services to communities. As an Apprentice Tanker Driver, you'll gain hands-on experience and academic qualifications while ensuring safe and efficient transportation of sewage and sludge. This role offers a unique blend of practical training and professional development, allowing you to make a lasting impact on the environment and your community. With a commitment to employee growth and a supportive workplace culture, this apprenticeship is a fantastic opportunity to kickstart your career in a vital industry. Apply now and be part of a team that truly values your contributions!

Benefits

25 days holiday + bank holidays

Annual bonus scheme

Leading pension scheme

Sharesave opportunity

Dedicated training and development

Retail offers

Family friendly policies

Two paid volunteering days

Qualifications

• Must have a UK HGV Class 2 licence to start.
• Level 2 apprenticeship equivalent to GCSE A-C or Grades 4-9.

Responsibilities

• Safely transport sewage and sludge using vacuum tankers.
• Conduct vehicle safety checks and prepare for operations.

Skills

HGV Class 2 licence

Safe driving techniques

Manual handling

Risk assessment

Communication skills

Problem-solving

Education

Level 2 apprenticeship

GCSEs in English and Maths

Tools

Vacuum tankers

Manual handling equipment

On-board telematics

Job description

Taking care of ‘one of life’s essentials’ – it’s our purpose and we want you to be part of it. Supplying wholesome drinking water, treating wastewater and recycling this back to the environment responsibly is no mean feat. We serve around 8 million people across the Midlands and Wales and unlike other businesses, our delivery is non-negotiable. It’s a matter of life.

Many of our employees are also our customers, so we truly take pride in what we do! Employing people from across our communities and beyond, Severn Trent is an exciting and inclusive place to work – a place where you can be curious, can be ‘Wonderfully You’ and where you can truly make an impact to our environment, now and for future generations.

LET’S TELL YOU MORE

Apprenticeship Programmes are a great way to earn and learn! Our Tanker Driver Apprentice Programme offers the perfect blend of safely transporting an increasingly valuable commodity – sewage and sludge and working regular, local routes, and having the responsibility for safely collecting, and delivering sewage and sludge and transporting it in vacuum tankers. Entering an apprenticeship scheme with us involves working towards the role of a fully-fledged professional, earning a salary, whilst also being able to maintain a sense of academic achievement. At Severn Trent we provide the perfect mix between hands-on experience and a formal qualification, enabling our apprentices to make a real lasting difference to our customers and communities, not just for now, but far into the future.

As an Apprentice Tanker Driver, you’ll be exposed to a wide range of opportunities through earning all of the key skills required to become a Severn Trent Tanker Driver as you train over to achieve your LGV (Large Goods Vehicle) driving licence at category C.

You'll be doing a wide range of daily activities and your competencies will include:

• The ability to operate STW specification vacuum tankers and associated equipment.
• The ability to safely access vehicle cabs, sites and offices using correct procedures (3 points of contact, etc).
• The ability to manipulate (including loading & unloading to/from tanker pipe storage trays) flexible pipework (up to 5” diameter) in a safe manner utilising correct manual handling techniques.
• The ability to work unsupervised once trained, in all weather conditions utilizing correct PPE, lone worker system, etc.
• The ability to dynamically risk assess site access & working conditions depending on specific circumstances on arrival.

This apprenticeship standard is Level 2 (equivalent to GCSE A-C or Grades 4-9). If you don't already have GCSEs in English and maths, you will need to take functional skills as part of the apprenticeship, which is an alternative to GCSEs and achieve a Level 1 while continuing to work to a Level 2. This will need to be achieved prior to completion of your apprenticeship.

DRIVING REQUIREMENTS

You will be required to have a UK HGV Class 2 licence upon beginning your role.

ROLE EXPECTATIONS POST APPRENTICESHIP

By the end of this programme, you will take up a role as a Tanker Driver.

WHAT WILL YOU LEARN

• Safe, controlled and fuel efficient driving techniques relating to driving the LGV, considering fuel costs and other possible efficiencies, implications of differing vehicle configurations and associated safety issues, including safe access and egress from vehicles and trailers to include prevention of falling from height.
• Safe use of equipment and machinery, e.g., manual handling equipment, vehicle and delivery systems, including where to find relevant instructions or guidance.
• Vehicle preparation, including vehicle safety checks/inspections, defect reporting, safety requirements, loading, securing and unloading processes, axle combinations.
• How to protect the vehicle and associated loads, including management of unlawful access to vehicle and loads, planning and preparing processes (e.g., planning fastest/most efficient route) including vehicle selection and contingency planning when circumstances change.
• Basic IT applications and other relevant technology and systems, e.g., tachographs, adaptive braking, hand-held scanners, on-board telematics etc., and how these are reported by use of.

WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR

We want our employees to care and to have a genuine passion for what we do as a business. We need people who want to make a difference in providing a vital service to our customers, now and for the long-term.

We’d love you to be someone with:

• A ‘can do’ attitude – willing to get stuck in, take accountability for decisions and actions and who takes pride in their work.
• A love of variety in a role and ability to adapt to a dynamic, fast-paced working environment.
• Ability to quickly prioritise tasks and the initiative to dive head-first into problem solving.
• No two days are the same on the front line and not every day goes to plan, so you’ll need to be quick on your feet to respond!
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills and enjoy working with multiple teams.
• Ability to analyse and interpret information and effectively communicate this to different team members and audiences.
• Curiosity to learn quickly in a reactive and dynamic working environment.

HOW WE’LL REWARD AND CARE FOR YOU IN RETURN

It’s not just a job you’ll get here, you’ll get a career too. We have a range of benefits that reward and recognise great work and award-winning training to ensure you reach your potential. And we’ll also help you play your part in looking after the environment and the community in which we live.

With that in mind, here are just some of our favourite perks that you’ll get being part of the Seven Trent family:

• 25 days holiday + bank holidays (and the ability to buy/sell up to 5 days per year).
• Annual bonus scheme (of up to £1,500, which is subject to eligibility).
• Leading pension scheme – we will double your contribution (up to 15% when you contribute 7.5%).
• Sharesave – the chance to buy Severn Trent Plc shares at a discounted rate.
• Dedicated training and development with our Academy.
• Retail offers.
• Family friendly policies.
• Two paid volunteering days per year.

As if that isn’t enough, you’ll receive an annual salary increase whilst you’re on programme and you’ll also get an increase when you move into your first job.

LET’S GO

Apply now to build an amazing career and be part of a brilliant team. We can’t wait to hear from you.

Please note, we don’t require a CV or cover letter to complete your application, the system will ask you for this, but you can just upload a blank document.

• Roles close on 14th March 2025.
• Check your diary – face to face assessments will run from 31st March-30th May 2025.

To find out more about working with us, search #LifeatSevernTrent on social media.