The road to diversity in social housing repairs

The trades sector is traditionally seen as tough and often as a ‘man’s world’. But as a woman in this field, I can say from experience that it’s not about gender – it’s about skills, dedication and passion. That’s the message we need to get across. These roles are about expertise, and they’re open to anyone who wants to be part of a hard-working, supportive team. There’s no reason why the trades should be dominated by one gender, and I want to change that.

We know that diverse teams make better decisions. They think differently, approach problems from various angles, and ultimately provide better solutions. This, in turn, helps us to improve our service, and makes sure that we meet our customers’ needs.

“There’s no reason why the trades should be dominated by one gender, and I want to change that”

However, achieving diversity isn’t always straightforward. At Yorkshire Housing, we focus on attracting applicants from all walks of life, especially from the communities we serve. We’re actively looking at how we can reach out to our customers to encourage them to apply for roles, as we want our workforce to reflect the diversity of the people we work with. There’s huge value in having team members who understand the communities they serve. It helps us make better decisions and deliver more inclusive services.

When we talk about recruitment, we’ve got to think about how different people experience the process. Take, for example, young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. They might face barriers in attending interviews, especially if they live far from the assessment centre. Or they might not even consider applying because they don’t fully understand what the housing sector is about, even though they may live in social housing.

So, part of our challenge is identifying and removing these obstacles. We need to make sure that everyone has a fair chance to apply and succeed, no matter where they come from.

One of the ways we’re tackling this is by considering how we can make our recruitment processes more accessible. We want to break down the barriers that stop people from applying, whether it’s distance, lack of understanding about the sector, or the fear of not fitting into the workplace culture. Part of this is about getting into local communities and connecting with potential applicants early, before they even think about applying.

We’ve got to start conversations with young people, especially those still in school, about the opportunities available in the trades. By working with schools, we can begin to shift perceptions about the kinds of careers available to them.

And we’ve already seen success with this approach. This year, we recruited a more diverse group of apprentices, including several female apprentices. We’re really proud of this achievement, and it’s just the beginning. We now have the first female-only empty homes team at Yorkshire Housing – and we’re not stopping there. There’s a lot more to be done, but this is a huge win in our journey towards greater diversity in the workforce.

“It’s important that when we highlight the diversity of our team, it’s not just for show. It’s about celebrating real achievements and creating a workplace culture that’s inclusive and empowering”

I can say from my own experience that the saying “if you can see it, you can be it” is true. If young women can see other women working in trades, they’re far more likely to think, “I can do that too.”

Visibility is key, but we must be careful. We don’t want tokenism. It’s important that when we highlight the diversity of our team, it’s not just for show. It’s about celebrating real achievements and creating a workplace culture that’s inclusive and empowering.

We want people to see our female colleagues for who they are, not as ‘women in trades’ but as skilled professionals doing great work. We’re striving to create a culture where a female gas engineer isn’t seen as ‘a woman doing a man’s job” but simply as a gas engineer doing her job brilliantly.

I’m proud of the progress we’ve made, but I’m also realistic about where we still need to go. There’s always work to be done. Diversity doesn’t just happen overnight, but it’s something we can achieve with consistent effort and commitment. I believe that one of the ways to make real progress is through setting clear targets. We may already be ahead of where we expected to be, but we still have a long way to go. By setting ambitious targets, we give ourselves something to strive for and measure our progress against.

We’re committed to creating a positive and inclusive workplace culture. To achieve this, we need to challenge each other, continuously research and stay professionally curious. We need to think about every person we interact with and the changes we can make to create a more inclusive environment. We must think about how people experience our organisation and how we can make sure that everyone feels supported, valued and empowered.

Cath Mustafa, head of repairs, Yorkshire Housing