Housing Apprentice

Swindon Borough Council; Swindon; On-site; GBP 10,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A local government housing department in Swindon is offering an apprenticeship for individuals eager to learn and develop skills in customer service and housing management. This 20-month course includes the Chartered Institute of Housing Level 3 Certificate and various responsibilities including working with tenants, addressing homelessness inquiries and administrative tasks. Candidates should have good IT, communication skills, and a passion for learning.

Benefits

Ongoing personal development

Flexible work-life balance

Exciting work environment

Qualifications

• Good IT skills, preferably with experience of using Microsoft Word and Excel.
• Good communication skills - both written and verbal.
• Ability to manage own workload and work within deadlines.
• Ability to work independently or as part of a team.
• Ability to show initiative and take responsibility for the quality of own work.
• A passion for learning.

Responsibilities

• Work with Neighbourhood housing officers on tenancy services.
• Provide a triage service for homelessness inquiries.
• Communicate with tenants through social media and facilitate training.

Skills

Customer service

Team working

Time management

Decision making

Interpersonal skills

Creative writing

Education

GCSE English and Maths at grade C (level 4) or above

Tools

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Excel

Job description

Swindon Borough Council Housing owns over 10,000 properties across Swindon. We are involved in a wide range of activities in managing these properties which include allocating homes to applicants on our housing register, maintaining properties to a decent standard, ensuring tenancy conditions are met, collecting rent and dealing with arrears as well as tenant involvement and communications. We also provide support services to people who are homeless or threatened with homelessness, including temporary and supported accommodation. Your next role As an apprentice you will be given the opportunity to learn and develop valuable skills such as customer service; team working; time management; decision making; working with information and administration. You will also gain the Chartered Institute of Housing Level 3 Certificate in Housing Practice as well as the Level 3 Housing Apprenticeship qualification on completion of the 20‑month course - a great starting point for a career in Housing. As an apprentices you will work within one of our housing teams supporting your colleagues to offer valuable service to customers. Examples of the work you will carry out in housing is below:

Responsibilities

• Tenancy Services - Working with our Neighbourhood housing officers to deliver services to our Council housing tenants, undertaking generic housing duties including but not limited to rent arrears recovery up to the point a legal proceedings, property inspections, tenancy management issues, attendance at safeguarding professionals meetings and estate inspections. This role would suit an individual who enjoys problem solving and working with the public.
• Housing Options - this role will be the first point of contact for people who are homeless or with concerns about homelessness. You will train to provide a triage service to direct enquiries to right professionals. It is a good entry point into frontline housing services. This role would suit someone with strong interpersonal skills and the ability to thrive in a busy, ever changing environment.
• Housing Business Development - to work across all aspects of communications with our tenants. This will include writing social media posts, dealing with queries and signposting for information. You will also support the team to facilitate different training opportunities for tenants. This role would suit an individual who works well with others and enjoys creative writing.
  The Housing Team within Swindon Borough Council would like to offer apprenticeship opportunities to enthusiastic individuals who are keen to learn new skills and get started in their housing career., GCSE English and Maths at grade C (level 4) or above or equivalent qualifications

Knowledge & Experience

In addition, we are also looking for people who have:

• Good IT skills, preferably with experience of using Microsoft Word and Excel.
• Good communication skills - both written and verbal.
• Ability to work to manage own workload and work within deadlines.
• Ability to work independently or as part of a team.
• Ability to show initiative and take responsibility for the quality of their own work.
• A passion for learning.

You must be fluent in the English language (as a requirement of Part 7 of the Immigration Act "for the effective performance of a customer-facing role").

Potential applicants are sometimes put off if they don't meet 100% of the requirements. We think individual experience, skills and passion make all the difference, so if you meet the majority of the criteria, we'd love to hear from you.

Your next package

Please see our Rewards and Benefits offer for more details. As an employee, you will receive a diverse and exciting environment in which to work, encouraging creativity and innovation whilst recognising the need to support ongoing personal development and a flexible work life balance. For Swindon to thrive in the future, we need to lay the foundations now. It's why our regeneration and transformation programmes are already underway. So, you'll be joining us at an exciting time on our journey. We'll look to you to share your knowledge, influence decisions and drive real, positive change. With your contributions, we'll achieve our vision of a prosperous, re‑vitalised Swindon together. And you'll be proud to say it was made better with you.