Celebrating women in the water industry
Alpheus News
People
Did you know? Only 19% of the water sector’s workforce are female, compared to the 47% of women in all sectors nationally ¹. Over the last decade, STEM careers have been a much more attractive proposition for young women starting their careers than ever before. But we must do more to create balance and encourage more women into the sector.
What better way to do this than to meet the amazing women doing incredible jobs in the sector to hear about their experiences?
Jo is the Site Supervisor at our Waste Water Management and Recycling centre in Milton Keynes, and has been at Alpheus for 19 years. Her role has been to facilitate the disposal of liquid waste bought on site by tankers from a range of customers and sectors, to ensure it is processed safely and compliantly. Jo’s attention to detail, high safety standards and people skills ensure things run smoothly on site.
“The most rewarding part of my role is knowing that waste received on site has been assessed and treated compliantly to prevent pollution to the environment. This involves sampling and testing waste that arrives on site, inspecting paperwork to ensure compliance, treating the waste appropriately and maintain the site and it’s records.
“I would definitely recommend considering a role in science and the water industry. After all, I have been in the industry nearly 20 years! As a scientist the best part has been always learning new things. In the waste water industry you can really make a difference to prevent pollution to water courses and protect the environment. It can be challenging sometimes, but as in any part of life, the path won’t always be easy but it is rewarding when you have made a difference.”
Holly not only manages the vast majority of our Operations and Maintenance Contacts, ensuring everything runs smoothly and that queries and issues get resolved quickly, she also works closely with the engineering team to collaborate on new tenders and to facilitate and manage the successful implementation of upgrades and maintenance. It is her in-depth knowledge of the customers, and our capabilities that has led to high levels of customer loyalty.
“I joined Alpheus as an Administration Assistant at just 16 and have worked my way up through support and Service Desk roles to manage the Service Desk. As the business grew I became a Key Account Manager and now manage the majority of our Operations and Maintenance contracts.
“The most rewarding part of my role is working with a wide variety of people, across different industries and roles. This has given me so much insight into different perspectives and sectors which has helped me develop and learn to help offer the best service and solutions for our customers.
“STEM roles are still overwhelmingly held by men which has the unfortunate consequence of bias in the industry. It is critical that more women break into STEM to ensure we have diversity within the field, where we can make use of our different perspectives and challenges to drive change and help the industry grow even further.”
“I started with Alpheus after being in the childcare industry for nearly 20 years so starting an admin role within the water industry was a completely new challenge for me.
“Before I joined I took water for granted – and just assumed it will always be there to be used as and when – and didn’t think about what happened to wastewater. But the Water Industry is a lot more than water from a tap, there’s so much more to treating waste and ensuring compliance to protect the environment. It has been an eye opening experience and I have learnt a lot over the 8 years with Alpheus thanks to a supportive team and a line manager that encourages me to develop my skills and widen my knowledge.
“My advice to anyone considering joining the industry is to go for it – it is interesting on so many levels! There are loads of opportunities to grow and develop your skills and knowledge, even if science and engineering are not your strong point. The business needs women at all levels to bring a new perspective and approach in an area that’s still dominated by men. The great thing is that whilst there are more men in the field – we are valued and encouraged as equals in the Alpheus team.”
Lorna works in our on-site Operations Team for one of the UK largest Pharmaceutical wastewater treatment plants. She makes sure operations run smoothly which entails managing a wide variety of tasks from data collection and recording of results, to ordering stock and equipment and completing documentation, monthly reports to ensure compliance, and much more!
“I am the only female in our team of nine – I am treated with respect and always felt like a valued member of the team. We have a great team on site and everyone is very supportive. It’s a varied role and no two days are the same – so if you are looking for a role where you can expand your knowledge and enjoy variety in your job – the water industry should be on your list to consider.
“My advice to anyone considering taking on a role in a mostly male dominated area is not to be daunted. Working in a pharmaceutical manufacturing plant has been extremely interesting and I am proud that I work at the wastewater treatment plant.”
