Early careers
We’re committed to supporting young people at the start of their careers. We’ve developed our education programme and partner with organisations including Career Ready, Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) and Limelight to provide opportunities for young people to gain work experience, skills and confidence as they enter the world of work. Our Modern Apprenticeship programme provides an opportunity for young people to gain a qualification and work experience and we have a strong track record of providing permanent positions to our Modern Apprentices (MAs) that graduate from the programme.
For young people joining us at the start of their career, we’re committed to providing a supportive and nurturing working environment. You’ll take part in a comprehensive induction programme to give you the confidence to succeed in your role and there are lots of opportunities to gain new skills, meet new people, challenge yourself and reach your potential. You’ll be supported throughout and have access to all of the fantastic benefits we offer our colleagues.
Modern apprenticeships
At Business Stream, we’re working hard to make a positive difference to our customers, our people, the environment and our local communities. We have a number of initiatives underway to do just that, including our Modern Apprenticeship (MA) Programme.
Our MA Programme offers a real alternative to full-time college or university, by learning on the job and you’ll get to put your skills to the test immediately and with modern apprenticeships being designed to have employers and industries in mind, you’ll receive the best possible training while earning a full-time salary.
Each summer, we recruit new modern apprentices to work with us, learn new skills and gain a nationally recognised qualification and we’ve had huge success with the programme in previous years with recruits moving into full time positions across the business.
The programme will involve work-based learning, where the training is directly linked to your role. You’ll be supported by our experienced colleagues in all aspects of your role and you’ll get hands-on experience to learn new skills. We’ll give you the support and learning you need to navigate our systems and policies, and to fully understand our business so you feel confident in your role.
Your role as MA will be busy, with no day the same, but you’ll have support every step of the way and we’ll offer lots of opportunities to develop your learning and understanding of the water industry.
Click here to read about our previous modern apprentices and their journeys with Business Stream
Career Ready
Career Ready is a national social mobility charity set up to provide opportunities for young people through its mentoring and work experience programme. Established in 2002, the charity has since helped over 200,000 young people across the UK.
We have partnered with Career Ready to help us deliver our ambitious education programme and also sit on the Career Ready Edinburgh, Midlothian and East Lothian Local Authority Board to support the delivery of the charity’s strategic goals.
We’ve partnered with Career Ready to provide mentoring over two years and a month’s paid work experience placement in our offices on a rolling basis.
We’ve supported 18 students since 2019 and we’re currently mentoring six students.
We support the delivery of Career Ready’s Skills for Success programme, having been asked to deliver a range of their masterclasses to students. Their programme is designed to give young people insight into the skills that will help them in their future paths, including communicating, problem solving, team work, creativity, adaptability, managing my career and managing myself.
Young Person's Guarantee
The employer led Young Person’s guarantee aims to give all young people aged 16-24 the opportunity of a job, apprenticeship, further or higher education, training or volunteering.
We've pledged to support young people and their development within our workforce and we're the first water retailer to achieve the Young Person's Guarantee employer status.
We’re fully committed to improving our environmental performance and are certified to ISO 14001:2015. You can find out more in our environmental policy. Our Solutions team are certified to ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 45001:2018.
