SFHA reflects on successful youth panel

SFHA was delighted to welcome three young people working in the housing sector to participate in a panel session at the Annual Conference in June. Marcella Boyle, Executive Director of Developing the Young Workforce Glasgow lead the session with Lauren Herd from Elderpark Housing Association, Ben Keenan from Pineview Housing Association and Lara Turner from Curb Lettings which focused on attracting, selecting, retaining and developing young people in the sector. The session came about as part of SFHAs efforts to increase awareness of the sector under the routes to housing project.

Developing the Young Workforce (DWY) Glasgow has a long-standing relationship with Elderpark Housing which has been further cemented by Lauren Herd’s involvement in the session. As a result of her involvement, she and her Chief Executive, Gary Dalziel have committed to Lauren’s ongoing involvement with DYW’s schools’ inspiration events. Lauren will be one of many staff from employer organisations participating in future DYW schools’ engagement.

Gary Dalziel, Chief Executive of Elderpark Housing Association said:  “It goes without saying that there are loads of benefits of supporting young people to develop a career in housing – for the organisation, it’s to encourage that opportunity to bring youthful knowledge, passion and new ideas to help the business thrive, for the overall sector it’s to ensure a steady stream of talented professionals who will shape the future of social housing and most importantly for the younger persons themselves it’s a pathway to a rewarding career with a vast array of opportunities.”

If your organisation can invest in young talent, like Lauren, please get in touch at dyw@glasgowchamberofcommerce.com for details on how to support school-aged young people.