Future Housing Leaders Join the World of Housing: A Call to Action
SFHA’s Mollie Stephen blogs on the innovative GEM programme and how it’s creating future housing leaders.
Since the launch of the World of Housing campaign in 2022, twenty up and coming Scottish housing professionals have engaged in the GEM Programme intended to create an energised cohort of future housing leaders. This talented network marks the success of first phase of the World of Housing campaign in the creation of a talent pipeline which will help future proof Scotland's housing organisations.
The twelve-month long GEM Programme provides a series of themed, immersive experiential learning events across the Scotland, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, England, and Holland. As well as providing intensive personal leadership development, there is also the added value of the CIH Level 4 housing qualification being attached to the programme to ensure GEMs meet recognised professional standards. The next GEM Programme will start in January 2024.
SFHA is very aware of the talent management and succession planning issues faced by members and the World of Housing campaign continues to play an important part of the Routes to Housing strategy with the aim of promoting the importance of housing as a profession, spreading awareness of the various opportunities available and assuring housing becomes a career of choice.
The success of the World of Housing to date has been driven by the energy of the campaign's Change Leaders Group, which has representation from a wide range of Scottish housing organisations. However, no we're focussing our attention on the growth of the campaign in 2024 and 2025. The Change Leaders Group will guide the future of the campaign and we will be holding our next virtual meeting on Thursday 31 August at 12pm for an hour. We warmly welcome Change Leaders who have been instrumental to our success to date, and we also want to extend the invite for new Change Leaders to join us too.
If you are interested in attending the Change Leaders meeting in August or if you are interested in the World of Housing campaign or the GEM Programme, please email mstephen@sfha.co.uk.