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Sixteen training centres offer qualification which will become mandatory for social housing managers
Sixteen study centres around the UK are currently accredited to offer the qualification which will be required for tens of thousands of social housing managers.
The Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH), which offers the courses through its Housing Academy, also accredits other institutions to provide training.
It confirmed to Inside Housing this week that it has accredited a total of 26 institutions across the UK to provide housing training.
Of these, 16 offer the Level 4 Certificate in Housing course which will be required for senior housing managers.
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Eight offer the Level 5 course which senior executives will be required to obtain.
Several are based in Scotland, where the qualifications will not be mandatory.
On Monday, the government introduced an amendment to the Social Housing (Regulation) Bill, which will require managers and executives in the sector to obtain professional qualifications.
The government estimates that 25,000 managers and executives in social housing will require qualifications as a result of the law, with sources telling Inside Housing this week that a “substantial proportion” of staff at these levels do not currently hold the qualifications.
The government has said it will consult on an appropriate transitionary period, in part to increase the capacity of education facilities before mandating it as a requirement.
The 16 centres which offer a Level 4 certificate are:
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Abode Training
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Access Training
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Blackburn College
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CIH Housing Academy
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City of Glasgow College
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Dutton Fisher
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Dundee & Angus College
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Gower College
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LBL
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Learning Curve
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London Learning Consortium
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Phoenix Academy
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New College Lanarkshire
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SHARE
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Sysco Business Skills Academy
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The Learning Foundry
The eight centres which offer a Level 5 certificate are:
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Access Training
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CIH Housing Academy
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City of Glasgow College
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Dutton Fisher
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Dundee & Angus College
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New College Lanarkshire
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SHARE
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The Learning Foundry
Most training centres offer a variety of options for remote learning.
Gavin Smart, chief executive of the CIH, told Inside Housing earlier this week that it is working on ways to take existing knowledge into account to reduce the “study period” for professionals with sector experience.
The qualifications are currently assessed through a mix of coursework, portfolio assessment, e-assessments and practical demonstrations.
A detailed breakdown of the Level 4 course is available here, and the Level 5 course is described here.
Who will need the new housing qualifications?
An amendment to the housing bill will require a foundation degree or Level 5 qualification for senior housing executives, and a Level 4 qualification for senior housing managers.
A senior housing executive is defined an employee or officer of the registered provider who has responsibility for the day-to-day management of the provision of services and is part of the provider’s senior management.
For senior housing managers, the amendment refers to a statutory definition of ‘senior housing and property managers’ that is published by the IATE.
This definition, written with the assistance of several social landlords, lists the following job titles as examples of the role:
- Neighbourhood housing manager
- Neighbourhood investment manager
- Property manager
- Voids and lettings manager
- Assets manager
- Incomes manager
- Resident involvement manager
- Supported housing manager
- Leasehold manager
It added: “The senior housing and property management occupation in both social and private housing sectors is responsible for the management and delivery of housing and property-related services within their business and service area(s). The role involves the management of resources with delegated authority to deliver the business objectives. The work must comply with contractual, statutory and legal regulations.
“The senior housing and property manager manages a specific function and associated team(s) while working with the wider organisation, team, communities and external partners.”
Once the requirements are in force, there will be specified time limits within which relevant staff must enrol on and complete qualifications.
