Two members of our Income team have gained professional qualifications, having encouraged each other during lockdown. 

Housing Plus Group supports colleagues to develop their careers and improve the services that we can provide to customers, through continued learning. Income assistant Heather Reay and officer David Wills each completed their Level 3 Certificate in Housing Practice, having successfully maintained their learning throughout all the challenges of the pandemic.  

The colleagues explained that they embarked on the qualification because it provided such a great understanding of the sector.  

“Although I’ve worked in housing for a long time, I’m not from a housing background,” said Heather. “I wanted to develop in my role and to get a broader understanding of how what I do each day, fits into the bigger picture of all that we do as a growing organisation.”  

David agreed that the course had provided a valuable insight into the work of other areas of housing: 

“We learned more about easing homelessness and the importance of tenant participation,” he explained. “We see the My Voice area of our website and read about some of the work that is done with our involved customers. The course really put that into context, showing why it is so important to Housing Plus Group.”  

The programme, which can also be studied as part of an apprenticeship, was delivered through full-day classroom sessions with written assessments at the end of each unit. As well as studying the regulatory environment, Heather and David had the opportunity to meet people across the sector and to share best practice. 

“It was a supportive group of learners. We were all working differently and adapting to a new environment for us and for our customers. We created a WhatsApp group to help each other and of course, we had the backing of our team at HPG,” said Heather. 

“It meant a lot that the Group had invested in us. It was a brilliant opportunity and a fantastic learning experience,” added David.