People from a wide range of backgrounds, with various levels of experience have joined us across all areas of our Flood Risk Management work. In their words, this is what they do and why they chose the Environment Agency to further their career.

Increasing sea storms. Heavier rainfall. Rising sea levels.

Saleena Hansraj
Foundation Course Student

‘I came across the Environment Agency while I was studying. With their high-profile ‘soft’ engineering projects, combining flood defence with conservation work, and their unique position, close to government but still independent; they seemed perfectly placed to really benefit the environment. Plus they employ thousands. So I always had it in the back of my mind as a potential place to work.

While some people came straight from school, others had just finished at university like me and even though it meant going back to university, I knew it was too good an opportunity to pass up. For starters, it would give me the chance to get involved in some exciting work, but more importantly, I’d get the exact skills I needed to really fly in the environmental industry.

In case you don't know, it's a two-year course where I spend approximately one week in every six studying on-campus. The rest of the time, we’re working on live projects. You get paid a training allowance, which means that you can lead a normal life.

It's amazing how different it is to my last degree. There, everything was theoretical, but now I can see the practical uses of everything I learn. I'm getting so much more out of it – and it's definitely going to get me a higher mark.

For the work experience, we spend three months in departments relating to our degree. It's a mix of indoor and outdoor work; most weeks I spend one day a week studying and the rest assisting on a range of exciting projects. It's pretty fast-paced, but everyone always makes time for me, no matter what I ask.

There's no doubt that the course has made me a lot more confident in everything I do. I never would have got this close to the actual industry, or seen the realities of the work if I hadn't done this.

In a nutshell though it's the projects that get me out of bed in the morning. I get to see how they're helping people across England and Wales. I'm just learning the ropes right now, but being outdoors, getting to see what I'll be doing when I finish – that's the best kind of motivation a student could ever have’