The Canal & River Trust is the charity that cares for the 2000+ mile, 200+ year-old network of canal and rivers across England and Wales. The Trust aims to keep these waterways open and accessible for the public to enjoy blue-green spaces, canal heritage, and historic engineering. Engineers from the Asset Management team play a huge role in keeping the vital infrastructure safe, operable, and sustainable for future use. The Asset Management team has the opportunity to welcome a student placement over the 2026 summer period for a voluntary project.
The Role
The project is looking at the Planned Preventative Maintenance (PPM) programme for canal weirs. The volunteer will review the current PPM programme and compare it against the goals of the Asset Management team and the real-world implementation of the PPM. From this, the volunteer can make recommendations and site-specific plans for the reviewed canals. They will have the support of the engineering team and volunteering leaders to make sure that they have access to all the resources, PPE, and advice that they need to complete the project to the best of their ability.
This role is specific to the southern Asset Management teams covering the East Midlands, London & South-East, and Wales & South-West. The successful applicant will work with the team to identify the canal weirs in an accessible and realistic area for the project focus. There is flexibility in the times and days spent volunteering, per agreement with the team. The volunteer will have access to the online volunteering platform which will host their health & safety training, hours, and travel expenses.
Person Specification
- This project would be best suited to someone completing a civil engineering degree, or a similar topic, and needs a placement/volunteering hours.
- The ideal candidate will need to have access to a laptop/desktop to complete the project.
- They do not need to drive however they will need to be able to travel to sites within the agreed-on area.
- Good time-management skills, detail-orientated, and proactive.
Benefits
The volunteer will get the opportunity to complete an infrastructure management project that, if successful, will be implemented into the Trust’s PPM programme, making a real, positive impact on the charity. Alongside this, the volunteer will be able to make connections, learn about other projects, and gain industrial experience.
Sectors
Sectors
The Canal & River Trust is the charity that cares for the 2000+ mile, 200+ year-old network of canal and rivers across England and Wales. The Trust aims to keep these waterways open and accessible for the public to enjoy blue-green spaces, canal heritage, and historic engineering. Engineers from the Asset Management team play a huge role in keeping the vital infrastructure safe, operable, and sustainable for future use. The Asset Management team has the opportunity to welcome a student placement over the 2026 summer period for a voluntary project.
The Role
The project is looking at the Planned Preventative Maintenance (PPM) programme for canal weirs. The volunteer will review the current PPM programme and compare it against the goals of the Asset Management team and the real-world implementation of the PPM. From this, the volunteer can make recommendations and site-specific plans for the reviewed canals. They will have the support of the engineering team and volunteering leaders to make sure that they have access to all the resources, PPE, and advice that they need to complete the project to the best of their ability.
This role is specific to the southern Asset Management teams covering the East Midlands, London & South-East, and Wales & South-West. The successful applicant will work with the team to identify the canal weirs in an accessible and realistic area for the project focus. There is flexibility in the times and days spent volunteering, per agreement with the team. The volunteer will have access to the online volunteering platform which will host their health & safety training, hours, and travel expenses.
Person Specification
- This project would be best suited to someone completing a civil engineering degree, or a similar topic, and needs a placement/volunteering hours.
- The ideal candidate will need to have access to a laptop/desktop to complete the project.
- They do not need to drive however they will need to be able to travel to sites within the agreed-on area.
- Good time-management skills, detail-orientated, and proactive.
Benefits
The volunteer will get the opportunity to complete an infrastructure management project that, if successful, will be implemented into the Trust’s PPM programme, making a real, positive impact on the charity. Alongside this, the volunteer will be able to make connections, learn about other projects, and gain industrial experience.
