Futures Housing Group is celebrating National Apprenticeship Week! We're proud to work with Access Training to offer apprenticeships across our business, from our repairs team to our home choices department. Apprenticeships offer us a chance to invest in developing team members with the skills we need to support our customers and keep our organisation running while providing opportunities for people to start a new career, learn new skills and achieve a qualification.
This National Apprenticeship Week we're introducing you to some of our team members so they can tell you what makes apprenticeships great.
“At Futures, we don’t just provide homes for people, however crucial that is. We also give people the chance to find out what they want to do in life, and offer on-the-job learning opportunities to help develop skills and build careers. Working closely with Access Training allows us to offer more apprenticeships and therefore not only give people safe, high-quality and affordable homes, but also to find secure, meaningful and enjoyable careers.”
Georgia Smith is a full-time, permanent Home Choices Advisor within the Home Choices team at Futures.
Having initially started her journey doing a work experience placement while completing her A levels, she fell in love with Futures so much that she stayed and became an apprentice.
During her apprenticeship, Georgia worked in teams throughout Futures and with team members doing lots of different roles. She built up a wealth of knowledge and found a passion for housing – she knew working in the housing sector was for her.
Most of all, Georgia enjoyed working within the Home Choices team. She learnt the ropes and how Futures matches people with the right home for them. Alongside working in the team, she studied for her Level 3 customer service practitioner exam with Access Training. For this course, there is no attendance at college, but an apprenticeship assessor will visit the apprentice in the workplace. They help apprentices complete the qualification, looking at assignments and completing interactive sessions together, as well as building up a portfolio of evidence ready for their endpoint assessment.
Now Georgia is a permanent team member within the Home Choices team, which lets Futures’ social and affordable houses. Her job entails shortlisting nominations from each local authority on our choice based letting system and making sure all lettings are in accordance with the home options policy and the local housing policy for that area.
Since Georgia joined Futures as a team member, she hasn’t stopped learning. She’s now taking part in Futures’ GEM programme and is studying for her Chartered Institute of Housing certificate in housing which Futures has funded.
“Futures is an amazing organisation to work for. They have really supported me and go out on their way to check-up on staff and make sure they are OK and have everything they need, especially at the moment. I would recommend Futures to anyone.”
Hear from Georgia
Georgia joined Futures as an apprentice but is now a Home Choices team member
