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A week in the life of… a course manager
Housing association Phoenix runs the Phoenix Academy, which offers qualifications to the local community. Marie Porter has managed this ‘school of social housing’ since 2015. This week, she has been preparing for new students
Monday
It’s time to read through emails that have come in over the weekend, and then it’s on to planning and scheduling for filming our nine-week residents’ course – Phoenix Academy Level 1.
The content we film will be used for our online cohorts and we’ll be filming Phoenix residents and members of staff who deliver the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) Level 1 course. We are very fortunate to have homegrown housing experts in-house as the tutors!
Tuesday
Today is dedicated to interviewing new students for our upcoming cohorts, CIH Levels 2 and 3.
The interviews consist mainly of residents who have completed the Level 1 course and are hungry to continue their learning. We talk about the course and expectations. The majority of residents on the course are unemployed but keen to learn and make a difference to their lives. It’s humbling to hear their motivation to do something positive and seek out a career in housing.
It’s always interesting to see the range of people who enrol on our courses – it’s very mixed. The Level 1 course attracts everyone from local residents, to board members, staff and senior management. Whatever your background, everyone learns together and supports each other. I believe this practice is pretty unique.
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Wednesday
Today’s focus is admin. Managing an academy is admin-heavy, with processes that need to be followed to ensure its smooth running.
The back-end function of the course requires many processes as assignments need to be verified and moderated to ensure the content meets the correct standards.
Thursday
I start the day speaking with a housing association that wants to know more about the Phoenix Academy. The question I always get asked is: how does Phoenix successfully engage with residents?
I have to say, it has a lot to do with our open-door culture. We listen, consider and come up with ideas that are innovative and engaging, having residents at the heart of our decisions. If you treat people right, the results speak for themselves. We do not sit on our laurels, though – we always think about ways we can improve our services.
In the afternoon, I have a catch-up meeting with the Phoenix Academy tutor and lecturers to discuss the timetable for our next cohorts.
Friday
I spend the morning facilitating a catch-up session for students completing our Level 2 course. This is an opportunity for them to discuss the assignment they are working on and is part of the support function we offer.
I finish the day with some planning for next week. I’m definitely ready for the weekend!
A week in the life series
Our ‘A week in the life’ series features housing professionals talking through what they do in their job on a day-to-day basis.
Find out about the different challenges housing workers in a variety of roles face in a given week.
We aim to feature staff from housing associations, ALMOs, local authorities and more.
Click here to nominate yourself or a colleague for inclusion
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