On Tuesday 12th and Wednesday 13th November, Sophie Hadley and Caitriona O’Toole, Community Housing Neighbourhood Coordinators, joined the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) at the National School & College Leavers Festival (NSCL Fest) at the NEC, Birmingham.

The second annual NSCL Fest is the largest national careers and skills event in the UK and welcomed around 25,000 visitors primarily from year groups 11, 12 and 13.

We were thrilled to join CIH on their stand, alongside over 100 employers, training providers, colleges, universities and professional & industry bodies, all geared up to offer advice and help to students looking to enter the world of work.

It was a great opportunity to promote the many varied career opportunities in the housing sector, including apprenticeships, as well as sharing lots of practical advice and offering an insight into the day-to-day activities of housing roles.

Sophie and Caitriona really enjoyed the event, wishing there had been more experiences like this when they were younger and preparing to choose a career. Many housing colleagues often say they ‘fell into housing’, so both felt it was great to be able to discuss the sector with people who were interested and had questions.

Visitors to the stand asked about various career options within the sector, including digital marketing and working with homeless people. This gave Sophie and Caitriona the chance to discuss how we use digital marketing and social media, as well as traditional methods, to communicate with customers and colleagues. They were also able to go though the housing and allocation process and highlight the roles that are able to support those without a permanent place to live.

Students were asked to tell CIH (via a special wall to write on) what ‘home’ means to them. Sophie commented that: “It was a nice insight into people’s thoughts, some of which were lovely and expected, ‘cosy’, ‘family’, ‘comfortable’, ‘safe space’ etc. Whereas some were not so nice, such as ‘annoying’, ‘fighting’ etc. This was eye opening but reflective as to what we do, the people we see, and the variety of things we offer support with within the housing sector”.

Our two Neighbourhood Coordinators were also able to have a good talk to CIH and discussed the qualifications they have undertaken and the benefits of the CIH membership, which includes events, professional networking and the opportunity to discuss best practice.