Carmel Parry

 So much has happened in 6 months!  In April I began what was to be my final placement in the Asset Delivery Unit working out of our brand new offices in the centre of Leeds.  The unit is responsible for all of our capital investment - building new sewage treatment works, laying new water distribution mains etc.  I was given the responsibility of being project manager for 50 pumping station refurbishments.  It was definitely my most challenging placement, and I learned so much in such a short space of time, especially in leading groups and chairing meetings.

In June I applied for a substantive post, an Asset Strategy Planner role within the newly formed Customer Services & Networks business unit.  After CV submission and interview I was thrilled to find out I had been successful. 

So that's what I've been doing since July.  The role I'm in now is in an area I didn't get much exposure to whilst on the scheme (strategy and long term planning), so I'm still constantly learning and developing, and really enjoying it.

Yorkshire Water run a whole range of different volunteering programmes including the Speakers Panel.  This is where colleagues in the business go out to community groups, businesses and schools to talk about what Yorkshire Water do: the services we provide (including how the processes of water and waste water treatment work) the community initiatives we run, and give tips for conserving water and so on.

 Last week I attended one of these talks with one of the Speakers Panel in order to learn how to pitch the presentation.  On the back of this, I have booked in my first talk in April, so I'll be able to improve my presentation and communication skills through doing this.  It should be a really worthwhile experience.

 Whilst on the scheme graduates get plenty of opportunities like this, and are always encouraged to push their development and step outside their comfort zone

Wow, what a busy couple of weeks.  Lots and lots of meetings, and sorting little bits and bobs out that needed doing.

Last week we held a Graduate Business Lunch, which myself and one of the other graduates have been organising this year.  Basically, we get someone in the business to come and talk to all of the graduates over a lunchtime about something that's happening in the business or what their team's function is for example.  We try and hold these once a month and this month we heard all about the audit team and what the company does to prevent fraud.  It was very interesting indeed.

My first post of 2010, and what a start to the year with all this bad weather!  It gets very tricky for the operators out on site in conditions like this - the freezing conditions result in more issues for them to sort out on the treatment works.  So everyone has been working really hard to keep all of the processes working as they should.

I've just stepped into the role of Solution Engineer for three of our major capital schemes in the York Catchment.  Basically, we have invested a lot of money into a few of our sites, and it's now my job to make sure the relationship between our contract partner (who are responsible for delivering the work) and the Yorkshire Water operations team.  It's good to be learning about the investment side of the business and how it all works.

Right, it's Friday afternoon and I'm off home for the weekend.

Remember, if you want to ask me any questions about anything I've written, don't hesitate!

Last blog I talked about the graduate development centre. Well, I've had the feedback now. It's been really useful to get an idea of which areas I have improved in and what I need to work on over the coming months. Luckily, most of the things that were pointed out I am already aware of due to the ongoing development meetings I have with my manager. So I've set myself some new targets and objectives, and we'll see how I get on with those over the next few months.

I've been away to Tignes skiing for a week, so I've just been getting back into working now.  I've got lots going on come the new year, so I've been planning my diary very carefully.  I'll tell you all about it next time!

Merry Christmas!

The last couple of weeks have been pretty hectic.  Last week my graduate year had what we call the Graduate Review Meeting, where each of us talks about how our placements are going, what we are learning, and if we need any help or guidance with anything.  It's a session where we can really support each other. And offer advice if needs be.

Then came the two day development centre which is essentially the graduate recruitment centre all over again, but a lot more intense.  The idea is that you're tested over two days on a variety of different skills, and receive feedback and coaching on your development areas.  It was an extremely intense two days, but I learned a lot.

This week I really enjoyed giving a tour of the treatment works here in York to some of the graduates.  Because I've been working on site for a few months now, I'm able to explain all the processes confidently, which is great!

I had my whole week planned out so I knew exactly where I would be and what I would be doing each day.  That all went to pot though when we had big issues with some of the sludge processes on site.  So I've spent the last two days trying to get things working, liaising with people to make sure everyone knows what's going on.  Thankfully we've managed to get things processing a bit better, but this required a lot of on the spot thinking and quick decision making.  Let's hope next week is a little less eventful!

It's been a very eventful couple of weeks.  Last week I went on a tour of our control room, which is the hub of Yorkshire Water.  I learned a lot about how the "reactive" side of the business works.  On Monday this week I went to Hull University and did a presentation to a group of finalists on what the graduate scheme is all about.  I was able to put into practise some of the skills I picked up on the presentation skills course I went on last year.

Last week I went on a number of site visits to investigate why we are having problems with the processes on some of our works.  I followed it up this week with a visit to one of our big pumping stations in the York area.  My manager has asked me to get to the bottom of the problems we are having there - it's a big project!  It's hard to know where to start!  But I've got lots of people who I can turn to for help if I need it.

That's one of the best things about the graduate scheme - you get to meet so many people along the way, your network of contacts builds up very quickly!

Wow, what a busy week!  I spent two days out of the office visiting three sites in the York Catchment area.  A couple of the works are having problems with thickening up the sludge (produced during the treatment process) - this means that when the sludge is tankered off site it is very watery, and results in the tanker drivers having to visit the site more often to keep the tanks from becoming too full.  I've been asked to look at the thickening processes on each of the sites to see if we can improve them, and ultimately save extra mileage and time for the tanker team.

 I met with my mentor on Monday morning which gave me a real boost for the week.  When you start on the scheme you are allocated a mentor who guides you through the scheme and challenges/questions you and your ways of working.  It's really great to have someone who you can chat to about any aspect of your work, and ask for help if you are struggling.  I always find the sessions really positive!

I've been involved with lots of different things this week.  I'm working on a project looking at a better way of reporting the reasons why our operators get called out to equipment alarms when they are on stand-by (at night and weekends).  We want to try and get to the root cause of the issues, for example, if particular sites or particular assets are repeat offenders so we know where to focus our attention.

My development has been at the forefront of my mind this week, and after a meeting with my manager I've now got some more areas to focus on during this placement.  For example, I want to learn about sewage treatment processes not only on the main site in York but all the different methods of treatment we have on our smaller sites around the area.  So I'm going to be doing lots of visits over the next few weeks.

The graduate programme puts a great amount of focus onto your personal development - you just have to make the most of the placements and opportunities that come your way.

My life in an operational role has begun!  The placements I have completed so far have been in more "strategic" teams.  The team I am working in now deal with the day-to-day, reactive issues on sites, and have to respond very quickly if there are any major events such as flooding, blockages in pipes and pumps & plant compliance failures amongst others.  So far I haven't had to deal with any issues like these but I'm sure my time will come.

I've been doing a lot of work out with the Energy & Process Engineers on site at Naburn Sewage Treatment Works in York.  I've learned so much about the sewage treatment process already!  Specifically, how we can constantly view the status and performance of assets through the use of telemetry and IT systems and thus carry out appropriate actions if and when needed on site.

I'm really looking forward to getting out to see some of the other treatment works with the operators in the catchment.  No works is the same so I'll be learning all the time.  It's great!

Hi everyone, and welcome to my first blog post!  Before I start getting into writing about what I'm up to in my role, I'll tell you a bit about myself.

I studied a 3 year BSc Hons degree in Environmental Science at the University of York, and applied for the Yorkshire Water Graduate Scheme over the Christmas break during my third year.  One of the courses I completed was on pollution and waste treatment, and I became really interested in how waste water is treated - so, I looked into what kinds of jobs were available and decided to apply to Yorkshire Water.

So far the scheme has been very enjoyable.  I have completed placements first in Customer Services, then with the Waste Processing & Recycling team (who deal with all the sludge) and have just recently finished in the Energy team.

I have just started my first "operational" placement in the York Catchment - learning how we actually do things "on the ground", so I'll be outside a lot on the treatment works with the operators and technicians.  I'm really looking forward to getting stuck in - and you'll be able to see on here how it is going!