M&E Placement Student

YTL UK is offering an exciting opportunity for undergraduate engineering students seeking an industrial placement year. With multiple roles available across our group companies, you'll join a team delivering multi-million-pound engineering projects that make a meaningful impact on both society and the environment.

Our well-established Mechanical & Electrical (M&E) Placement Student programme has grown year-on-year, and is supported by our graduate engineers and former placement students, so that you get the very best out of your year with us.

Building on the success of the programme, we are now expanding to include Automation (Industrial Control) placements.

This placement will run between July 2026 and August 2027.

As a Mechanical & Electrical Placement Student, you'll have the opportunity to work within Wessex Water and the wider YTL UK company. You'll play a key role in the design and construction of major water and wastewater infrastructure projects.

You will be placed in one of the following teams based on a combination of your interests, education and interview outcomes:

• Mechanical Design
• Electrical Design
• Automation (Industrial Control)
• M&E Delivery.

The role can involve tasks as varied as carrying out pump surveys to ensure sites run efficiently, procurement of key items, project planning, commercial activities and much more. You will attend design meetings to learn about the design and construction process, inputting your ideas to help achieve our goals. You will also take part in various on-site activities with advice and guidance from senior and experienced Engineers.

As an M&E Placement Student, you will be part of our team delivering innovative water and wastewater treatment projects across the Wessex Water region, as well as working with engineers across all disciplines. You will get the opportunity to gain real management and commercial experience as well as access to professional technical qualifications within defined programmes accredited by professional engineering institutions, such as the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) and the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET).

During your placement year, you will be encouraged to engage with the Monitored Professional Development Scheme (MPDS), during which you will be mentored by a professional engineer, with your placement year counting towards future applications for Incorporated (IEng) or Chartered (CEng) Engineer status.

As an Automation (Industrial Control) Placement Student, you will write software to an approved specification for Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) - the brains behind automated control at water treatment works and pumping stations, and gain exposure to the full project lifecycle.

Roles within our Mechanical or Electrical Design teams will involve elements of both high-level feasibility studies and in-depth, detailed design activities.

You will experience the variety of challenges and tasks that come with engineering and construction, and will be expected to work alongside colleagues in both an office and construction site setting. The role is varied, with no two days being the same.

You must be currently undertaking an undergraduate Mechanical or Electrical Engineering degree for the M&E placement, and/or an electronics or computer science-related degree for the Industrial Control (Automation) placement.

We are looking for hard-working, punctual students who have a genuine interest in engineering and, in particular, the water industry.

We expect you to:

• embrace YTL UK's company ethos and BEST (Behaviour, Excellence, Service and Teamwork) values
• be flexible, know how to connect with others and pride yourself on being proactive and bringing positive, bright ideas to the team
• feel comfortable taking responsibility for tasks and projects you've been assigned
• be able to manage your own time and adapt to change
• be driven to succeed, aspire to excellence and think outside the box.

This role will involve travelling around the Wessex Water region, so possession of a full UK driving license and access to a vehicle are essential. Mileage will be reimbursed at the HMRC-set rates.

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