Employer Story: Number Nine Solutions leads the way with Water Environment Worker Apprenticeship

Number Nine Solutions has become one of the first employers in Lincolnshire to take on a Water Environment Worker (WEW) Apprentice with Riverlution, a move that highlights both its commitment to developing early careers and its investment in the future of our waterways.

The Water Environment Worker Apprenticeship is designed to equip the next generation of practitioners with the technical skills, ecological knowledge, and practical experience needed to restore and protect rivers, combat and respond to flooding and work with volunteers and other users of the nation's rivers.

For employers, the apprenticeship offers a structured way to bring new talent into the sector, ensuring that the skills base needed for future river restoration, biodiversity enhancement, and flood risk management is being built now.

For Alec Richardson, Director of Number Nine Solutions, the decision was clear. He said: “Our work depends on rivers that are healthy, resilient, and well-managed.

“By taking on a Riverlution apprentice, we’re not only supporting the skills and career development of a young professional, but also making sure our business is equipped to meet the challenges of the future.

“Apprenticeships are a fantastic way of combining structured training with real-world experience, and we’re proud to be one of the first employers to step forward.

Riverlution’s Water Environment Worker Apprenticeships are open to employers across the region, with delivery beginning in October 2025. For Alec and his team, this is the start of something bigger.

Alec added, “If you want to future-proof your business, you need to bring new people in and give them a route to learn and grow. This apprenticeship is a win-win: the apprentice gains a career, we gain the skills our sector needs, and the rivers we all depend on get the care and attention they deserve.”

The teams at Riverlution and Number Nine Solutions are in agreement that the environmental sector needs new pathways for talent, particularly at a time when rivers face increasing pressure from climate change, urbanisation, and biodiversity decline.

By choosing the apprenticeship route, Number Nine Solutions is also signalling to key partners such as the Environment Agency and local authorities that it is committed not just to project delivery, but to investing in people, communities, and the long-term stewardship of the water environment.

For more information on our Apprenticeships, click here.