Student testimonials

John MacGregan

John MacGregan, a TVH resident, had been made redundant from his job as an accountant, when he saw the Chartered Institute of Housing Level 2 course advertised in Link Up, the TVH residents’ newsletter.

He applied for the course and was assessed and accepted. As part of his training, he was invited to become a volunteer at TVH.

"I want to move into working in the Housing Sector. I’m very interested in how Government housing legislation and housing law impacts on actual day to day practice. After discussing this with Lorraine Brown, Resident Training and Employment Coordinator, she encouraged me to join the Allocations Team, as a volunteer.

I work in the department 2 days a week and it’s been really beneficial. It’s increased my understanding of housing and given me new skills. It’s also really boosted my self-confidence after being made redundant."

Elaine Oldfield

Elaine Oldfield had worked in debt management for 18 years, the majority of them within the housing industry. She wanted to do an NVQ in Housing to get a qualification in Housing, as she wanted to progress within her sector.

Elaine says,"I decided to study NVQ Level 3 in Housing. Whilst doing my NVQ, I had the opportunity to apply for promotion to Senior Housing Officer in my department. I was successful and doing the NVQ assisted me in gaining my promotion, as the company knew that not only did I want to learn but was willing to put the time in to achieve a higher role within the organisation.

The NVQ gave me the opportunity to take a more in-depth look at the various procedures and policies staff in my company must adhere to. It gave me greater insight into the purpose of the policies and how beneficial they are.

Now I have successfully completed my NVQ level 3, I would like to proceed further in the future to complete the next stage, level 4 in Housing Management."

She completed a level 3 Customer Service NVQ.

"I really liked that delivery was one to one in my work place. I have learnt that there are different approaches to customer service delivery and dealing with situations. I have realized that you are never too old to learn and develop skills."

Tina Widdison, Neighbourhood Coordinator at Sentinel

She completed a level 3 Housing NVQ using the electronic portfolio system.

"I undertook the qualification as I had recently been promoted and wanted to learn more about the different aspects of my role. I really enjoyed having the one to one meetings with my assessor each month.

To start I was unsure of how it would work but Lorna was very supportive and always on hand to give advice and answer questions when they arose. It took a while to get used to the ENVQ system but once I had sent some time looking through the different area’s it all fell into place and was good not to have to carry a huge folder of paperwork around.

I have learnt that I have a lot more knowledge than I realised initially and it has made me think about why we do things the way we do and many more of the procedures I had not already come across in my day to day work. I will use my knowledge to provide a better service to anyone I come into contact with but especially the residents in the area’s I manage.

I have a much better understanding of policies, procedures and protocols now so it should make me a better NCO and I will be able to provide a one stop shop approach to all. It has made me think that I can get further in my career and I would like to go on to work for further qualifications hopefully later this year and possibly, one day, apply for a senior role with the neighbourhood teams. I am enjoying using the knowledge I have gained at present though!"