Repair & Maintenance Operative Level 2 Apprentice
THAMES WATER UTILITIES LIMITED
Brixton Depot (SW2 1SB)
Closes in 16 days (Saturday 28 February 2026)
Posted on 11 February 2026
Contents
Summary
You’ll work on-site, learning to build, fix, and maintain the pipes and networks that keep homes and businesses supplied with clean water. You’ll gain experience in both planned upgrades and emergency response, all while working towards a qualification and building a long-term career with plenty of progression opportunities.
- Wage
-
£22,500 a year
- Training course
- Water network operative (level 2)
- Hours
-
Hours: 45-hour week over four working days plus one training day, with a 7:30am start, exact working days and hours TBC
45 hours a week
- Start date
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Monday 18 May 2026
- Duration
-
1 year 6 months
- Positions available
-
2
Work
Most of your apprenticeship is spent working. You’ll learn on the job by getting hands-on experience.
What you'll do at work
What you’ll be doing as a Repair and Maintenance Apprentice:
- Gain hands-on experience with the water team while being fully supported throughout your apprenticeship
- Track and repair leaks and bursts; replace valves, hydrants, and stop taps; clear blockages; install and maintain meters and flow devices
- Set up traffic control and safety barriers; ensure digs and reinstatements are safe and tidy
- Operate diggers, tools, and other powered equipment
- Keep accurate job logs and safety records
- Work outdoors in all weather, across streets, homes, and building sites; shifts, standby callouts, and physically demanding tasks, sometimes in tight spaces
- Develop skills in clean-water network operations, safe digging, digital flow monitoring, teamwork, and communication
Where you'll work
Brixton Depot
SW2 1SB
Training
Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.
Training provider
WATERTRAIN LIMITED
Training course
Water network operative (level 2)
Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)
What you'll learn
Course contents
- Identify hazards and implement controls to reduce risks to people and the environment.
- Comply with a safe system of work, including permits, work and engineering instructions.
- Identify and organise resources.
- Comply with workplace health, safety and environmental policy and practice; use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and safety equipment.
- Follow procedures for signing, lighting and guarding as well as public and pedestrian segregation and escalate issues if required.
- Identify, locate and avoid damage to underground utility services.
- Carry out safe excavation practices for utility network services.
- Monitor and maintain site conditions; good housekeeping.
- Select, check and operate equipment and tools; report faults if required.
- Maintain and store equipment and tools, for example charge batteries, clean equipment, grease machines, re-fuel.
- Communicate with others verbally for example, internal and external customers, colleagues and managers.
- Use gas detection equipment.
- Communicate in writing with others and record task information, for example, job sheets.
- Follow standard operating procedures (SOP).
- Use information technology and digital systems. Comply with GDPR and cyber security.
- Carry out learning and development activities.
- Organise and prioritise own work.
- Apply equity, diversity and inclusion rules.
- Apply team working principles.
- Carry out pipe cutting.
- Carry out squeeze off activities.
- Join materials by fusion techniques.
- Join materials by mechanical means on clean water assets.
- Drill and tap clean water assets.
- Install clean water assets.
- Conduct disinfection procedures for clean water mains and services.
- Check the performance of the asset and escalate issues if necessary.
- Use continuous supply procedures.
- Repair water network asset.
- Identify and solve common issues within the clean water network.
- Use pumping equipment.
- Follow hygiene procedures.
- Install or replace waste water assets.
- Replace and join materials by flexible seals, for example band seals on waste water services.
- Prepare the site for a no dig team.
- Carry out excavation and shoring of deep excavations.
- Repair waste water network assets.
- Use mitigation methods to maintain flow, for example using pumps, stopping or diverting.
- Identify and solve common issues within the waste water network.
- Decontaminate equipment, tooling and PPE.
- Identify hazards and implement controls to reduce risks to people and the environment.
- Comply with a safe system of work, including permits, work and engineering instructions.
- Identify and organise resources.
- Comply with workplace health, safety and environmental policy and practice; use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and safety equipment.
- Follow procedures for signing, lighting and guarding as well as public and pedestrian segregation and escalate issues if required.
- Identify, locate and avoid damage to underground utility services.
- Carry out safe excavation practices for utility network services.
- Monitor and maintain site conditions; good housekeeping.
- Select, check and operate equipment and tools; report faults if required.
- Maintain and store equipment and tools, for example charge batteries, clean equipment, grease machines, re-fuel.
- Communicate with others verbally for example, internal and external customers, colleagues and managers.
- Use gas detection equipment.
- Communicate in writing with others and record task information, for example, job sheets.
- Follow standard operating procedures (SOP).
- Use information technology and digital systems. Comply with GDPR and cyber security.
- Carry out learning and development activities.
- Organise and prioritise own work.
- Apply equity, diversity and inclusion rules.
- Apply team working principles.
- Carry out pipe cutting.
Training schedule
- Water Network Operative Level 2
- Knowledge, skills and behaviours as set out in the Water network operative Level 2 standard
- You’ll study with Watertrain, one of the UK’s leading water training providers, with 2-day block release training each month at a Thames Water site
Requirements
Essential qualifications
GCSE in:
Share if you have other relevant qualifications and industry experience. The apprenticeship can be adjusted to reflect what you already know.
Skills
- Communication skills
- Attention to detail
- Organisation skills
- Customer care skills
- Problem solving skills
- Team working
- Physical fitness
Other requirements
- Aged 18 or above due to insurance purposes
- Comfortable with working outdoors in different weather conditions
About this employer
Who are we? We’re the UK’s largest water and wastewater company, with more than 16 million customers relying on us every day to supply water for their taps and toilets. We want to build a better future for all, helping our customers, communities, people, and the planet to thrive. It’s a big job and we’ve got a long way to go, so we need help from passionate and skilled people, committed to making a difference and getting us to where we want to be in the years and decades to come
https://careers.thameswater.co.uk/our-roles/early-careers/ (opens in new tab)
Company benefits
- Performance-related pay plan directly linked to company performance targets
- Access to lots of benefits to help you take care of you and your family’s health and wellbeing, and your finances
Disability Confident
A fair proportion of interviews for this apprenticeship will be offered to applicants with a disability or long-term health condition. This includes non-visible disabilities and conditions.
You can choose to be considered for an interview under the Disability Confident scheme. You’ll need to meet the essential requirements to be considered for an interview.
After this apprenticeship
Permanent contract with a 15-18-month structured programme.
Ask a question
The contact for this apprenticeship is:
WATERTRAIN LIMITED
The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000014632.
Apply now
Closes in 16 days (Saturday 28 February 2026)
After signing in, you’ll apply for this apprenticeship on the company's website.