Job doctor

“I am a housing officer and would like to progress in my career, possibly diversifying into other disciplines within social housing. But many jobs I’d be interested in require qualifications I don’t have at the moment and I cannot afford to leave my job to train for them.

What are my options?”

In order to gain further qualifications you could approach your employer and ask for training in the areas you wish to work in. Organisations should see it as in their interest to train you rather than risk losing you and having to recruit more staff.

Check your staff handbook or intranet to see if there are already internal training schemes – some provide refreshers or management-skills training, for example.

If not, the Chartered Institute of Housing runs a number of courses that can be carried out on-site in your organisation. Try asking around and if you think more than six of your colleagues might be interested in developing their skills, your employer could book a one or two-day trainer in subjects like antisocial behaviour, homelessness law or housing management law. These courses can be used as evidence towards the CIH continuing professional development qualification, an NVQ in housing or supported housing. If your boss is wavering, point out that one advantage is the saving they’ll make on not having to pay your travel or accommodation expenses for you to do a course elsewhere.

You can also gain qualifications in your own time by distance learning. For example, the University of West of England offers “flexible learning” courses in housing-related subjects such as housing development, management and neighbourhood management. Each topic, with titles such as “planning and affordable housing” or “energy efficiency in existing housing” takes just six to eight hours of study, and you can fit this in when convenient. The cost is £20 registration plus £60 for learning and assessment on each topic. Academic support and guidance can be gained through the website (www.flic.uwe.ac.uk) or by phone. If you do just a couple of topics they can be used towards an NVQ, but if you get the study bug and complete 32 topics and an assessment, you could be awarded the university’s Certificate in Housing.