Karen Cross

Current Graduate

BSc Geography and Geology, MSc Catchment Dynamics and Management from the University of Leeds 

"I was first attracted to Yorkshire Water because of their dedication to research and the company's' commitment to innovation and being an industry leader"

The way the programme is structured means that you are able to undertake a wide variety of roles across the business. This breadth of knowledge is invaluable in your future career. The three core placements in Production, Distribution and Asset Management help you to cover the basics which give you the knowledge to build on for future placements during the rest of the programme. I have been able to apply the skills learnt, plus those from my degree and put them into practice in my day-to-day job.

The emphasis of support and personal development is what makes the programme exceptional. The courses I have been on since starting the programme such as, communication and presentation skills, advanced courses such as project management and the one week residential leadership training course in the Lake District, have helped me develop at both a personal and professional level.

No two weeks are ever the same: one day you might be getting your hands dirty at a Water Treatment Works and organising a fishing competition on one of the county's reservoirs, the next you will be presenting to the leadership team and helping children learn to read, as part of the right to read programme.

During the past year at Yorkshire Water I have been lucky enough to be able to take an active role in a number of community projects, one of which included organising for my team to create a kitchen garden for a school in Leeds as part of the One Million Green Fingers initiative. I have been involved with many Water Aid events which have included a golf day, a fishing competition, a formal ball, Trail 100 and Water Awareness Week. 

I have spent the past two months within the innovation delivery team, working on a cutting edge project, the team is really focused and dynamic, hardworking and enthusiastic, and it has been amazing and extremely challenging to be involved in a project at the forefront of an industry leading initiative. I have found it really exciting to work with people who challenge established processes and use innovation to deliver cost savings.

Karen works in the Water Business Unit