View publication - Chartered Institute of Housing

PART TWO: LEADING TOMORROW
Skills development for employment
Then there are those whose involvement with CGA has helped them with their own
employment needs. We have a long-serving Board Member who has, after a long period
out of the work environment, found a role with a tenant involvement organisation.
Perhaps this is to be expected from an organisation with a tenant empowerment focus;
but there are further examples of people who have developed in unrelated fields. This is
where our organisation has to take an approach that is flexible and ‘unselfish’ –
committed to supporting individuals develop. We have those, like Jenny, who came to
us in response to ‘Purple Pathways’. She was looking to move jobs and saw employment
with CGA as achieving that ambition. Unfortunately she was unsuccessful in that but it
introduced her to volunteering with us. So now she is a GTC member and potentially
more. And she has also now moved jobs. All-in-all, Jenny and CGA are mutually
supporting each other.
We also have to be open to all within our communities. Homeowner, Fay brought her
children to an activity day run by one of our community groups. At the time working
part-time in a factory, Fay had no record of involvement in the local community. But that
initial contact led to her joining the group and getting involved with various activities.
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