Apprentice Stories
Jon Holder – Housing Advisor
Apprenticeships are not just for people at the start of their career - they can also be used to help colleagues progress through the organisation.
Jon was already working for Harborough District Council, but a move into a different team and new subject area meant he wanted to upskill his existing knowledge. Although initially Jon’s role in the Housing team was only a fixed term secondment, he is now a permanent member of the Housing team, which is fantastic for both Jon and the team.
What is your current role?
I’m a housing advisor based with the Housing Options Team. My role mainly involves supporting people who are facing homelessness or are already homeless. That’s a hugely varied group of customers – from working families struggling to afford market rate rent, to people already sleeping rough on the streets. I’m also a designated safeguarding officer which certainly has relevance to my role in housing as there’s often an overlap in dealing with vulnerable customers.
What was the apprenticeship you did?
The course I undertook was a Level 3 in Housing & Property Management, under the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH). When I joined this team from the Lifeline team, I was completely new to housing and as it was initially a fixed term contract, I wanted a qualification to back up any future applications I might have to make for new jobs! My then-manager and the Learning and Development Business Partner were supportive in getting me on to the course.
Why did you decide to go down the apprenticeship route to get this qualification?
I’ve worked in client/customer facing roles for about 15 years, so I feel fairly confident working with people day to day. The bit I was interested in was the technical knowledge around housing law and practice as I knew little/nothing when I joined the team. The course provided this. It also offered a lot of context around the history of social and affordable housing in the UK which is helpful in understanding why things are the way they are now.
What were the best parts of your apprenticeship?
I always find it easier to absorb information when I’ve got some context to apply it to. I’d been with the team for a few months when I started the course, so it really helped me to build on my knowledge and develop my understanding. Since completing it, I’ve continued to utilise the learning from the course and applied it to my role on regular basis.
What were the challenges?
The most challenging part was writing essays again after such a long time! It took a while to get the wheels oiled and working again but I got there eventually.