Debt Apprenticeship

What you’ll be responsible for

As a Collections Specialist Apprentice, you will learn how to support customers with their water bills through the full collections journey, from early support and payment-plan conversations through to more specialist case handling. You will rotate through teams in the Customer Revenue department to build a broad, practical understanding of how Welsh Water prevents debt, supports customers in financial difficulty, resolves issues fairly, and protects the income needed to deliver essential services.  

This will include: 

• Speaking with customers in a professional, empathetic and clear way, helping them understand their account, arrears position and available payment/support options.
• Support customers to set up realistic and sustainable payment arrangements and encourage early engagement to help prevent arrears escalating.
• Learn and apply debt collection negotiation principles, including how to reach appropriate repayment solutions while treating customers fairly.
• Complete a placement focused on payment types, payment allocation, insolvency, Breathing Space, low-value plans and how accurate administration supports good customer outcomes.
• Develop early-arrears skills through inbound and outbound customer contact, call handling, payment plan conversations, account review and customer-focused collection activity.
• Build knowledge of commercial accounts, aged debt, customer account maintenance and case progression within business collections.
• Understand late-stage arrears activity, legal and regulatory considerations, customer vulnerability, fair decision-making and when escalation is appropriate.
• Resolve customer service problems by identifying the cause, considering customer circumstances and working with colleagues to put things right.
• Learn how to recognise vulnerability, gather relevant information and signpost customers to appropriate support, tariffs or specialist teams where needed.
• Work in line with Welsh Water policies, regulatory requirements, data protection, quality standards and agreed business procedures.
• Collect evidence from real work, tutor sessions, professional discussion and workplace examples to support accreditation and role development.
• Work with buddies, mentors, team leaders and accredited tutors; seek feedback, reflect on learning and build confidence across each placement.
• Develop the productivity, quality, communication and account-management skills required to progress into a permanent Revenue role.
• Undertake any other duties as required to meet the needs of the business. 

About you

The following Qualifications, Experience, Behaviours & Skills are required:

• GCSEs or equivalent including English and Maths, or willingness to work towards the required apprenticeship standard.
• Eligible and willing to complete the relevant apprenticeship/accreditation and take part in workplace assessment.
• Experience of speaking with customers, colleagues or members of the public in a helpful and professional way.
• Enthusiastic about putting our customers first every day. 
• A clear, calm and empathetic communicator who can explain information in a way that customers understand.
• Interest in customer support, collections, affordability and helping customers keep on top of their bills. 
• Able to listen carefully, ask good questions, negotiate appropriately and adapt your approach to the customer’s circumstances.
• Good attention to detail and commitment to accurate account notes, data quality and following agreed processes.
• Open to feedback, reflective about personal development and willing to learn through rotations, coaching and tutor-led sessions. 

Benefits

As well as a market competitive salary, 34 days  annual leave (pro rata, including public holidays), we offer a range of employee benefits and rewards including:

• Variable pay schemes (your salary will always stay the same, but depending on the performance of the company you could receive a yearly bonus)
• Enhanced employer pension contributions – Up to 11% employer contributions
• Enhanced family friendly policies
• Progression opportunities, including the ability to apply for funded training and coaching and mentoring programmes
• Reduction on gym memberships and high street shopping
• Cycle to work scheme
• Car-leasing scheme
• Health CashBack scheme
• An employee assistance programme for employees and their immediate family
• Whilst also working for a not-for profit company that truly cares about earning the trust of customers everyday, and about looking after our beautiful environment.
   

Who we are

Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water keep 3 million people healthy each day with safe, reliable water, and take away wastewater to clean, before returning it safely to our beautiful rivers and seas.

To be able to deliver high quality, essential services which help to protect the health of our customers, colleagues and our environment, we need the right people to deliver on our vision.  This is achieved by living our core values and demonstrating the core behaviours that underpin them.  The security of our people, assets and information is key to us, so we are looking for people who understand and comply with the company’s required security objectives.

We know that the most successful teams are the most diverse teams. Equality, diversity and inclusion provide the very foundation to our culture at Welsh Water. We want every individual to feel confident, proud and able to bring their whole selves to work. 

To ensure an improved representation in our workforce, applications are particularly welcome from minority groups including Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic people, Females, LGBT+, Non-binary and people with disabilities. Together we continue to build a workplace that not only celebrates the diverse voices of our colleagues but also represents each customer we serve.

In essence, ours is a company based on trust, openness, respect, commitment and honesty. A company that our colleagues are proud to work for.