Preston students make lasting impression on water chief

Earlier this year United Utilities chief operating officer, Steve Fraser took time out of his schedule to talk to pupils at Moor Park High School and Sixth Form about United Utilities and the route he took to get to where he is now.

The visit which was made possible by a partnership between United Utilities and education charity Teach First. The charity has been working since 2003 to recruit and train great teachers to work in low-income communities. Recruiting more Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) teachers to address the skills shortage, champion those subjects and educate their pupils on the opportunities available in the sector is a key priority for Teach First.

Following the visit, which students described as ‘awesome’, Steve was overwhelmed by the sheer enthusiasm of the group.

“The students really created a lasting impression with me. I could see the students I met at Moor Park had an interest in the early career opportunities we have at United Utilities and I decided to invite them to our head office to have a peek behind the scenes.

"Attracting and inspiring the next generation of employees to the water industry is critical to our future success," said Steve.

During the visit students took part in a number of activities and got to see how science and engineering play a massive part in ensuring 7 million customers receive, clean clear water each day.

United Utilities employee brand manager, Lynn Johnson who helped facilitate the day, said: “It was fantastic to share with such enthusiastic students some of the opportunities we can offer as a business and I hope to see some of them return in the near future as work colleagues.”

United Utilities is the North West’s only FTSE100 company and is recognised as one of the top employers of apprentices in the UK.