The social housing sector must consider how the government’s Kickstart Scheme and new apprenticeship bonuses could help fix its skills shortage, argues Rachel Credidio, group people and transformation director at housing association Aster Group.
The skills shortage in housing is well documented and as the sector continues to fall short of the government’s target of 300,000 homes a year in the UK, the need for fresh talent in the industry has never been greater.
Social housing in particular faces a significant challenge. With the economy now officially in recession, the need for affordable housing is likely to increase dramatically and meeting this growing demand will require more hands on deck than are currently available within the industry.
As a sector, we now need to succeed in an area in which we have arguably struggled in the past – inspiring young, ambitious people into housing careers.
Large numbers of young people, either leaving school or university, now face a far harder economic environment than they were expecting. As we found out from the financial crisis in 2008, it’s very often the aspirational entry-level job opportunities that dry up the quickest during a recession.
But far from slowing down, activity in social housing needs to ramp up during an economic downturn as more people depend on affordable housing options. This means a greater need for skilled workers and more opportunities for those in need of jobs and training.
A generation of talent is now having to take stock and potentially rethink career choices. Social housing must engage with these people and show them what working in the industry could offer them.
A study from Cone Communications found that three-quarters of millennials consider an employer’s social and environmental commitments when deciding where to work. Social purpose is at the core of what a housing association does so we need to be better at showing young people that a career in the sector is a chance to enact positive change.
The government has made helping young people onto the career ladder a key part of its Covid-19 recovery plan. While we as a sector have to take responsibility for addressing our own talent shortage, it also makes sense to make the most of the support being offered while it is available.
We have until the end of the year to take advantage of chancellor Rishi Sunak’s apprenticeship bonus offer – £2,000 for every new apprentice hired aged 16 to 24 and £1,500 for those over 25.
Apprenticeships are one way of not only channeling new talent into the sector, but shaping the next generation so that they learn the skills needed to bridge the current gap. We’ve seen through our own apprenticeship scheme just how crucial a role they can play, particularly in an organisation like a housing association, where a huge variety of very specific skillsets are needed.
Couple the bonus with the government’s £2billion Kickstart Scheme – which offers grants to businesses who provide work placements to young people receiving universal credit – and there is quite a comprehensive package of financial support available to those who need to attract and nurture new talent in their industry.
It will be difficult for us to make the progress we need to on the delivery of new homes, and on providing much-needed services to those in social housing, without increasing the number of people who have the necessary skills to do this work.
As a sector, we must do all we can to close the housing skills gap, seizing every opportunity that comes along to do so. It’s our responsibility to fill the talent pool but, while support is being offered, it’s just good sense to consider how we can make the most of it.
