Building professionalism in Social Housing

There is currently a drive to attract a new generation of skilled housing professionals into social housing. Elly Hoult, Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH)’s new President based her recent campaign around the fact that most people don’t deliberately choose housing as a career. Instead, many seem to accidentally find their way into their housing roles.

For new recruits, it is important to have a central place where they can access the right support, advice and career opportunities. This includes professional qualifications, careers advice and skill-building pathways. Some of the key in-demand skills across housing and the built environment as the sector undergoes transformationeadership are development, tenant involvement, sustainability, commercial awareness and technical knowledge.

In order to maintain high standards across all associated industries within the sector, we can make better use of established national housing bodies such as the CIH. The institute offers advice and support to professionals on the latest standards and policies, as well as education and career opportunities. More recently, the CIH, along with the National Housing Federation, have been instrumental in communicating the sector’s needs, challenges and aspirations to central government.

Both the previous administration and the new Labour government have been vocal about transforming the sector, particularly when it comes to developing professionalism within social housing. To effectively achieve this and to ensure we are aligned with the sector's evolving needs, there are some key issues to consider:

Developing The Right Skill Sets

From a recruitment perspective, we are seeing a growing urgency for our candidates to possess a clear technical knowledge base. This also now includes managerial, soft skills and core values. Policy updates, climate change, damp and mould issues and the sector post-Grenfell have all impacted the demand for these skill sets. Tenant involvement in all aspects of policy, strategy and decision-making is also now paramount.

The growing skills gap has led to more commercial skills being welcomed in from outside the sector. This has led to the limited number of candidates possessing the full skills sets growing in demand. Inevitably, this also commands higher salary scales. To compete for the best candidates the sector must become more creative and consider looking beyond stretched remuneration offers. One of our strengths is our strong ethos and a purpose-driven career offer. Our top candidates are now reaching for these values, along with more flexibility, workplace diversity and a healthier work-life balance.

Statistically, the younger generation in particular place a greater priority on these values now than financial security alone. As a public sector industry, we can offer these incentives and can showcase our strengths in these areas.

Membership Bodies and Support Networks

Membership bodies such as the CIH set benchmarked standards on conduct, service and delivery. They can also back professionals through every level of their career pathway with updated skills and opportunities, as well as qualifications, mentoring and peer support.

There is a greater demand on our housing professionals to develop a more diverse, well rounded skill set. Equally, there are greater opportunities for progressive, values-driven career development and a healthier work-life balance.

It’s an exciting time to join the social housing industry. Encouraging the next generation of professionals into the sector requires clear signposting offering a diverse and rewarding career in housing. By showcasing the many opportunities and benefits on offer, we can attract the skills and values the sector needs to drive forward lasting, transformational change.