Aspire Housing and PM Training has a commitment that 10% of its workforce consists of apprentices. The business offers a diverse range of apprenticeships including those that construction-based, office-based and sector specific, such as Housing Apprenticeships.
Aspire Housing chaired the development of the Housing Standards, as part of the new apprenticeship standards developed by employer groups, known as Trailblazers.
Thomas’ journey
After completing his A Levels, Thomas decided against going to university. He didn’t know what career to pursue, and after talking to a family friend, contacted PM Training to find out about training opportunities.
At the meeting with PM Training, he was made aware of apprenticeships with Aspire Group, through their ‘Aspire 2 Work’ programme. It was the first time he had heard about office based apprenticeships and decided to apply.
Thomas was successful at interview and started his three year housing apprenticeship in the Customer Services Team at Aspire Housing.
He loved his role so much that after only 10 months, he successfully applied for a Customer Services Adviser position. He never expected to progress so fast. Continuing with his apprentice qualification was really important to him, as he recognised its importance for his future.
Six years on, Thomas has worked in various roles throughout the housing teams, including: Customer Liaison Officer, Neighbourhood Officer and Allocations Adviser. He finds the role particularly rewarding as it involves helping his local community and the work he does makes a difference to people’s lives. He hopes that when he talks to young people about his journey, that it inspires them to become an apprentice.
Qualification wise, he has gained qualifications in Customer Services, IT, and Housing Management along with an ICS qualification. More recently, he has undertaken facilitation training courses and has even delivered training to housing colleagues throughout the Aspire Group.
One of the best moments at Aspire Housing was when he won an award for ‘Customer Excellence’ at the Aspire Group annual awards ceremony in 2012. He was delighted that his efforts had been recognised and couldn’t wait to tell his parents – who were very proud!
“My apprenticeship was really exciting, motivating and rewarding. I rotated between various teams within the housing department and gained an understanding of how the housing teams work together, as well as the importance of customer services, communication and team working. It was fantastic to get the best of worlds, ‘on the job’ training as well as formal training to get a qualification.”
Hear from the people who are doing apprenticeships…
