5 February 2009
Southern Housing Group is championing housing sector support for the Government’s apprenticeship initiative. In recognition of National Apprenticeship Week, the housing association led an Apprenticeship Good Practice Forum at Stratford Town Hall on Thursday 4 February 2010 to establish a sustainable housing sector apprenticeship strategy.
Research carried out by the Office for National Statistics shows that young people have been the hardest hit by the recession* compared to all other age groups. The Group’s aim is to use its role as a social housing provider to help young residents into work and equip them with the skills to benefit organisations. As a housing association, it is uniquely placed to address the barriers around employment for young people living in social housing.
A range of policy-makers and operational organisations attended the forum to share their expertise, including the National Apprenticeship Service, the Homes and Communities Agency, Construction Skills (the Sector Skills Council for Construction), Breyer Group and Axis.
Speaking on behalf of Southern Housing Group, Anabel Palmer, Director, said:
“The Good Practice Forum was an excellent way to share experience and ideas on which to base a workable apprenticeship strategy for the housing sector. As a social housing and community regeneration provider, the Group is perfectly placed to access and tailor programmes for the very people who will benefit most from the Government’s apprenticeship drive. As the housing industry weathers the current economic climate, partnership working and best practice sharing will be particularly vital in ensuring the success of apprenticeship schemes in this sector.”
Simon Waugh, Chief Executive of the National Apprenticeship Service, said:
“The time is absolutely right for businesses of all sizes to take on apprentices, so we applaud Southern Housing Group’s efforts in highlighting this. Our research shows that firms who take on apprentices have been in great shape to face the downturn. Last year saw a 7% increase in apprentices, that’s 240,000 young people freshly into the jobs market, with the determination to succeed.”
Photograph: from left to right - Liz Cowie, HCA; Jeff Joseph, Higgins Construction; Paul McCrea, Durkan Limited; Daniel Francies, National Apprenticeship Service