• Project name: Lead On
• Lead organisation: East Ayrshire Council

Statement of support

LEAD ON is East Ayrshire Council’s new leadership development programme for all colleagues in housing and housing asset services. LEAD ON stands for:

• LEARN
• ENGAGE
• ASPIRE
• DEVELOP
• OPPORTUNITY
• NURTURE.

The LEAD ON programme is an initiative that consists of twelve monthly sessions. It is open to all housing and housing asset services colleagues at East Ayrshire Council who are looking to expand their knowledge in housing management and develop their leadership skills. This programme is designed for individuals who wish to become more informed in their current roles or aspire to become managers and is embedded in Housing and Communities’ Service Improvement Plan.

LEAD ON launched in April 2024, the first cohort consists of around twelve professionals from housing and housing asset services teams. The delivery approach aims to create an intimate working group environment for participants to explore topics together, openly sharing thoughts whilst introducing a buddy system across the two teams to enhance cross division engagement.

It is widely acknowledged that many people unintentionally end up in a career in housing. The LEAD ON Programme at East Ayrshire Council seeks to change this perception by making a career in social housing a recognised pursuit. Additionally, it aims to train employees to become well-educated housing professionals and positive role models for the younger workforce. The programme also includes participation from a graduate intern within housing who shared their journey and contributed to strategy and policy.

East Ayrshire Council provides LEAD ON professionals with access to a CIH membership for the duration of the programme, allowing them to utilise key resources to enhance their understanding and apply skills and behaviours as they progress through the programme. The FACE values of the Council: Flexible, Approachable, Caring and Empowered, compliment the CIH professional standards and East Ayrshire Council was delighted to welcome Mike Dougan, engagement officer at CIH to the first session to discuss the professional standards and their importance to their varied roles across housing and housing asset services. The council believes that investing in staff and granting them this development opportunity will result in better outcomes and a better overall service for tenants.

Each LEAD ON session focuses on different aspects, from leadership and personal development, housing and council strategy to in-depth housing operations. This includes housing management, homelessness, voids and allocations, anti-social behaviour, refugee resettlement and the private sector. Additionally, LEAD ON sessions also provide insight into housing operations, covering various aspects such as housing improvement projects and moves on to cover topics such as health and safety, tenant participation, financial management, human resources and equality and inclusion. The strategy session provides a strategic overview of housing, familiarising participants with key strategic drivers for the council on both national and local levels. Each session is led by a different professional from across the service, each of whom is a specialist in their field. This provides participants with the valuable opportunity to connect and interact with experts from various services to cultivate horizontal innovation. After each session, the materials are posted on an online platform where the cohort can enhance their learning.

The LEAD ON programme incorporates personal development as a core outcome, encouraging participants to maintain a learning log with personalised development goals throughout the programme for personal reflection. It includes a personality assessment to help participants better understand their strengths and weaknesses. This culminates a personal assessment.

Outcomes and achievements

Initial feedback from participants highlighted strong support for the programme in providing personal development, CIH standards, collaboration and supportive learning.

Takeaways captured included:

• “Collaboration and teamwork are the key to the success of our work.”
• “Having an open mind about what the course is going to help with not just the present but also the future.”
• “How my characteristic impacts my daily working and decision-making.”

Having already taken a postgraduate diploma in housing, one participant reflected:

• “The development and introduction of LEAD ON has given me a great opportunity to explore and increase my knowledge within the business as a whole and find where my interests lie in terms of potential career progression/promotion… the programme so far has exceeded my expectations in terms of learning but also seeing that we have a management team who are committed to develop this programme to allow staff who may not have thought that management was for them gives and acknowledges that they value the current workforce."

Given the positive feedback from the pilot and demand, a second cohort will be rolled out in October 2024 with the potential for the programme to be opened up to wider council services in the future.

• Project name: Learning Together: Hanover’s Journey of Empowerment and Progress
• Lead organisation: Hanover Scotland

Statement of support

Who are we?

Hanover (Scotland) has been building homes since 1979, helping older people feel safe, secure and empowered to lead fulfilling and independent lives. A diverse organisation, Hanover are dedicated to delivering excellent customer service and cultivating a skilled, resilient workforce to provide this.

In the last three years, Hanover underwent a transformation of its approach to learning and development. This included a complete restructure of teams, additional new posts and recruitment of experienced individuals to those new posts to complement existing teams.

There is now a much stronger emphasis on the value of structured L&D approaches that reflects Hanover's stage as an organisation.

Three elements of Hanover's new L&D approach are now underpinned by a new People and Engagement Strategy and aim to strengthen leadership skills, professionalise the workforce and improve customer service standards.

Leadership development

Hanover recognises the value in strong leadership within the organisation to support effective delivery of its strategy. This year, Hanover launched its Leadership Excellence Programs to an initial 30 managers to enhance skills including communication, change management, emotional intelligence, coaching, delegation and feedback, concluding with a ‘pledge day’ with the CEO for delegates to reflect on their learning and make a public commitment for changes in their leadership approach.

Professionalism commitment

Hanover has signed up to the CIH professionalism commitment and actively works to embed the professional standards across all its practices. To demonstrate this, Hanover committed to funding one employee to gain their level 4 professional qualification each year. This is year two, and the first employee undertaking the course has spoken at this year's CIH conference about embracing this opportunity. 

Furthermore, Hanover restated its support for all employees to take up opportunities for self-development and attending CIH conference, and a number of other events and external working and steering groups including SFHA to learn from others and share their own experiences. Hanover has gone from being an insular, inward-facing culture to one that seeks out and is hungry for learning.

The new Competency Frameworks support individuals and teams to consider the competencies required to fulfill their roles regularly. This constructive approach to L&D is imbedded in Hanover's new Employee Performance Framework and gives structure at one to ones and annual reviews, allowing L&D needs and interests to be identified and fulfilled consistently.

Achieving customer excellence

Like many in the sector, Hanover has experienced a decline in customer satisfaction post the pandemic. In response, Hanover worked with SHARE as well as tenants, to design a bespoke ‘Customer Service Excellence’ training for employees.

What is exciting about this training is that Hanover deliberately used an in-house “train the trainer” model rather than external consultants. This has allowed the business to grow a network of its own ambassadors while also developing people's skills and experience as trainers. The rollout has commenced, and Hanover is optimistic about the impact.

This work is part of a wider Happy Customer Strategy that includes a range of activities to modernise and digitalise Hanover's customer service model.

Learning and development opportunities (People and Engagement Strategy)

Committed to upskilling its workforce, Hanover implemented a formalised Performance Management Framework, detailed learning needs analysis for all employees, and provides access to coaches/mentors, conferences, and networking opportunities.

Hanover expanded its internal training network through the national Train the Trainer Program, enabling employees to share their expertise while gaining new skills while delivering training on key topics like medication management, dementia awareness, customer service, and recruitment. During Learning at Work Week, the programme included wellbeing topics and areas like recognition, imposter syndrome, sustainability, SSSC changes, and digital skills.

Outcomes and achievements

Although still early on in this journey, positive impacts have started to materialise already:

• Learning needs analysis: ensures employees have the right skills, knowledge and insight for their roles and helps to identify and address gaps, which improves employee satisfaction, retention, and customer outcomes
• Performance management and development: formal framework with access to qualifications, coaching/mentoring drives personal development and effective succession planning
• Employee wellbeing: Employee turnover dropped from 18.7 per cent (2022-23) to 17.9 per cent (2023-30). Absence decreased from 5.9 per cent to 5.08 per cent, with 1,203 fewer sick days
• Leadership Excellence Program: made 26 leaders more confident and effective
• Peer benchmarking and networking: enhances learning from the sector, helping Hanover to better meet customer needs. In 2023-24, 22 people attended 15 SFHA events, five people attended CIH conference. External working/steering group and boards memberships include CIH, SFHA Governance Forum, Technology Enabled Care in Housing Board, SHAPS Employer Committee, SAY Women
• Customer coproduction: ensures Hanover prioritise what matters most to customers
• Customer excellence training equips employees to better respond to customer needs
• Digital connectivity: More customers now digitally connected and confident with IT
• Improved financial capability among customers have reduced arrears, strengthening the business's financial position
• Established values and behaviour framework facilitate feedback and employee development.

• Project name: GOALS, centre for excellence in learning and development
• Lead organisation: Grampian Housing Association

Statement of support

Launched in February 2024, the learning and development opportunities offered by Grampian Housing Association (Grampian) have been brought together in its new initiative, GOALS (Growth, Opportunity, Achievement, Learning). 

GOALS is at the centre of Grampian’s People Strategy and demonstrates the association’s commitment to continuous learning by equipping and supporting colleagues to achieve career growth during their time with Grampian.  All colleagues are automatically enrolled in the centre. This goes a significant way towards ensuring continued job satisfaction, motivation and engagement, all of which speak to Grampian’s retention and low turnover rates.

In its commitment to embed CIH professional standards across Grampian and provide a route map to excellence, all frontline colleagues undertake formal CIH qualifications to equip them with the skill set and knowledge to deliver the very best services to tenants in a person-centred way. 

Grampian is also committed annually to the GEM programme, which includes real-life job experience in personal and leadership development, workplace mentoring and attainment of the CIH Level 4 in Certificate in Housing Practice.  The goal of the GEM Programme is to equip participants with the skills and knowledge to become future housing leaders. 

Grampian’s CEO is on the CIH Scotland professional development advisory group which also ensures professional standards are embedded across the organisation.

For colleagues, lifelong learning and development provides new skills, experiences and qualifications which help navigate the world or work; motivating, encouraging and leading future learning all of which delivers enhanced service to tenants as well as raising Grampian’s profile as an employer of choice.

We are also upholding the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development principles of ‘good work’ in that good employment is fundamental to individual wellbeing, supports a strong, fair society, and creates motivated workers, productive organisations and a strong economy.

True to Grampian’s commitment to its tenants and communities, GOALS also meets the needs of tenants and highlights the life-changing impact which new learning, skills and qualifications can have on them, their families and their local communities through improving employability opportunities, household incomes and overall wellbeing.  

The benefits for tenants are therefore twofold. Not only are great outcomes realised through quality services delivered by knowledgeable, skilled and qualified staff but tenants have the opportunity to achieve great outcomes for themselves too.

As well as tenants having access to the Skills Network to complete free distance learning qualifications, over the last year Grampian has partnered with Skillsminer, a new employability tool and jobs platform, helping tenants who want to move to a new job, re-enter the employment market or access their dream job.

Tenants interested in working for Grampian can take advantage of student placement and workplace opportunities. 

At Grampian everyone is encouraged to have goals because everyone matters.

The association has three ILM qualified workplace coaches to help colleagues unlock their potential and shape future careers.

In addition to CIH qualifications, opportunities for colleagues include the range of e-learning qualifications through Grampian’s unique partnership with The Skills Network which offers nationally recognised qualifications. 

Apprenticeship opportunities are available across the organisation. TLC, the association’s in-house maintenance subsidiary, already employs apprentices across the trades industries. Contractor engagement in delivering community benefit is another key aspect of the GOALS initiative.

As part of Grampian’s health and safety compliance all colleagues undertake WorkRite e-learning modules covering topics such as manual handling and lone working as well as in other areas of compliance such as preventing fraud and anti-money laundering.

Coupled with sector leading approaches to colleague wellbeing and resilience and initiatives to foster a culture of recognition and appreciation, Grampian believes it is nurturing, supporting and developing its colleagues. In turn, colleagues are embracing the opportunities offered with 94 per cent of colleagues understanding individual responsibility for learning and development, leading to 92 per cent of colleagues proud to work for Grampian.

Outcomes and achievements

Grampian believes that to deliver its new customer experience initiative, The Grampian Deal, and deliver great outcomes for tenants it has to be a truly customer focussed organisation, fully committed to professional development. Already overall customer satisfaction has increased to 82 per cent and there is 89 per cent satisfaction with customer service indicating the early success of GOALS.

During 2023-2024 Grampian colleagues have undertaken the following professional qualifications:

• CIH Levels 2, 3, 4 and 5 Certificate in Housing Practice (eight colleagues)
• CIPD Level 5 Associate Diploma in People Management (one colleague)
• IOSH Managing Safety (two colleagues)
• SCQF Module Level 11 Leadership in Board Governance (one colleague)

Jessica Adams, neighbourhood officer is the first colleague to participate in the GEM Programme. Jessica said:

• ”I am excited to have been selected. The CIH qualification will enhance my knowledge and further equip me with the skills to enable me to best help tenants as well as progress my career in housing.”

Colleagues who have upskilled through The Skills Network, have undertaken courses in the in the following areas:

• Principles of Team Leading (six colleagues)
• Awareness of Mental Health Problems (three colleagues)
• Lean Organisation Management Techniques (one colleague)

One tenant who has also completed courses through the Skills Network said:

• “It made a difference to me as I was able to pursue a career in the sector that I wanted to work in and I am enjoying every aspect of my new job.”