Karen Cross

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Karen Cross

Karen CrossHi I'm Karen, if you're thinking of applying for a graduate placement with Yorkshire Water then read my blog, it should give you more of an insight into what to expect.

I remember when I was looking at different companies I had so many questions, so feel free to ask me yours and I'll get back to you. You can read more about me in my case study.

What I'm doing at the moment

Karen Cross, 16/10/2008

I'm  just  finishing off my placement in project Athena at the moment, I've been  here  for  three  months  so  it's  time  to move on. At the end of a placement it's always really busy tying up loose ends and getting pieces of work  and reports finished.  I can't say much about the project as it's top secret,  but  it's  innovative  and  the  environment  is so dynamic as the project  has moved so quickly over the three months. I'm reluctant to leave a team which is so focussed and motivated, and it's always a challenge when you  start  with a new team as you've just got comfortable. You get used to working out of your comfort zone after a while, its scary at first though.

During  this  placement  I've  been involved in the steering group which is looking  at  new  ways  of  working  and now sit on a number of the working groups taking action. This week I've been to a meeting about the field work going  on  as  part  of the trial. I've also been part of the working group looking  at  improving  the  data  held within our corporate systems - this links  back to a project I started six months ago during my three months in asset  management,  on  data management.  It's great that I've been able to continue doing this despite moving on.

The  corporate  systems  we use are often bespoke and complex. I have grown used  to  using them daily as the majority of my work in Project Athena has involved  the  capture and analysis of data. As a graduate you can often be the  fresh  pair  of  eyes  which  helps to provide a new perspective.  I'm currently  working  with  a  company  looking  at a new type of statistical analysis  software to help better understand the vast reams of data we hold and capture on a daily basis about the status and performance our assets.

As well as this blog I've also put together a few notes about what I do for Yorkshire Water and how I got my foot in the door.  Read more

Check out my next entry to find out about my first week with a new team

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Project Athena

Julie, Leeds, 23/10/08

Do most graduates get involved with projects such as Athena?

Project Athena

Karen Cross, 24/10/08

Innovation delivery is a popular choice of project with graduates. It is really exciting to be involved with work at the cutting edge. I think it appeals to a lot of people. The great thing about the scheme is the input that you have  into your development. You can identify areas within the business which interest you where you think you will be able to learn and develop.

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Social life

Sam, Bingley, 23/10/08

Great idea for a blog, can you include more about the social side of working at Yorkshire Water too!!!

Social life

Karen Cross, 24/10/08

I will. One great thing about the graduate scheme is that as you move through departments you meet loads of people, not just the graduates who you start with, but people from across the business unit.  I often get invited to team building days. It is always a great opportunity to meet and get to know people better. I have played golf, lazer-quest, been skiing, climbing, and bowling amongst other things.

The graduates recently entered a boat into Yorkshire Water's alternative to Whitby Regatta. We had a great day out in Whitby despite sadly coming sixth (i.e. last in our event). It was a great team building day and we got to meet people from all different part of the business during the subsequent night out in Whitby.

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My new placement

Karen Cross, 28/10/2008

I started my new placement in Central Asset Optimisation on Monday, I had my first meeting with my new manager last week and we have set some objectives for me to work on for the next three months. These include taking a lead moving Athena forward and I am really excited to be involved in a project which I think will radically change ways of working in the future.

The start of my placement has involved learning more about what happens in Central Asset Optimisation. I am currently doing the job of a Production Controller for just over a week to cover for half term holidays. I am looking after the East treatment works in and around York and Hull which involves monitoring site flows and alarms and raising maintenance and repair jobs. It is intimidating to be thrown in at the deep end but you learn quickly when you are doing the job on your own! There is always some one on hand to help if you get stuck though.

The Graduate Review Meeting (GRM) was this week; all the graduates on the scheme meet up with HR to discuss process and issues. As the graduates on the various schemes can be based as far away as Cardiff or Aberdeen it is also a great chance to catch up, we often organise nights out, or even in, to coincide with these meetings to get to know each other better. The other graduates on the scheme are one part of a fantastic support network I have built up over the past year. One of the Kelda Water Services graduates is having a house warming to coincidence with everyone being back in Yorkshire. I think it is going to have a Halloween theme. Maybe you?ll hear more about that next week!

Comment

Design degree

Rachel, Leeds, 30/10/2008

Do you think that someone with a design degree would be able to join the graduate trainee programme, or is it specifically for scientists?

Design degree

Karen, 3/11/2008

The Water Business Unit accepts applications from candidates with any honours degree. Although I have a science background, Kezia who started at the same time as me in the Water Business Unit, has a degree in English.

Although my understanding of chemistry and physics has on occasions been an advantage it's actually the transferable skills I developed at university that have helped me more during the scheme, for example communication skills and the ability to work in a team.

It is much more important to be enthusiastic, relish a challenge and be quick thinking, focused, flexible and practical with the ability to solve problems and be innovative.

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Trying to stay in control

Karen Cross, 15/11/08

My current placement in central asset optimisation. Most of our day to day work is controlled and monitored from the centre in the control room, which is an intense and very busy environment. I've been learning how to do different roles, such as being the controller for the treatment works in the east for a week. The job provides back up to manned sites and monitors unmanned works.  This involves monitoring alarms, raising jobs and helping with scheduling.  I spent a couple of days training and was then thrown in the deep end and did the job myself. It was a steep learning curve, but I took on a great deal more than if I'd just been work shadowing. By the end of the week I was confident in the decisions I was making.

I've been given a few projects as part of this placement such as investigating whether the control room needs a specialist call handling team to reduce the number of calls to the specialist 24/7 team within the control room. I've been given lots of data on call volumes and have been doing some investigations into the types of calls coming in to see if they're going to the right people.

Comment

Going nocturnal

Karen Cross, 8/12/08

Last week I did shifts in the control room and have to admit I'm absolutely exhausted. I've no idea how the 24/7 team do it, but I guess you must used to it. The 7pm to 7am were particularly tough. The snow and frost and then the thaw meant however that it was really busy, so that stopped me dozing off. The 24/7 team includes a duty manager, systems optimisers, network optimisers, the out of hours scheduler and the waste team.

The waste side were really busy during the snowmelt on Thursday and Friday and the freeze thaw caused a lot of damage to the distribution network so there were several incidents going on at the same time. Lucky I think the team managed to avoid any disruption to customers although there were a number of field technicians out working all night on bursts. We had to call out process engineers in the night to go to works, I did standby during my production and distribution placements so I know what it is like to be woken in the middle of the night to fix a problem that can't be solved with remote intervention.

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Cup final

Karen Cross, 16/12/08

The 2007 graduates have been taking part in a competition called the Prospects Cup.  Past graduates have done really well so we're hoping to do even better this year. It's a business game where a team of graduates manage a manufacturing business in competitive trading conditions and a worldwide portfolio of investments. Each company competes against a group of four others in manufacturing its consumer durable product for a number of markets.  We make weekly decisions on pricing, marketing, production volumes, loans, transport policy and the use of consultants with the aim of maximising profit.

I go to a meeting weekly with the rest of the graduates. Every week we get a management report with full data on market and production performance and investment gains and losses, and associated changes in balance sheet, to show its revised trading position. At the moment we're in the lead but this changes weekly. But our past decisions have been strong so we're in a good position.

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It's goodbye from me...

Karen Cross, 02/02/2009

We've now closed applications for our 2009 graduate recruitment scheme so I'll be closing my blog for a short while.  Don't worry though, if you're interested in our 2010 scheme I will be back later on this year to answer any of your questions and tell you how I'm getting on.

Thanks for visiting my blog and remember to come back soon...

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