“The UK must redouble its efforts to accelerate progress in closing the persistent skills gap that holds back so many individuals, businesses and regions.” – Liz Truss, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.
Housing associations play a vital role in supporting tenants with their employment and skills development. However, there is a growing skills gap in the UK which is having a negative impact on tenants’ ability to find work. This blog post will explore the skills gap and its impact on housing association tenants. It will also offer some solutions to help address this issue.
Mind the skills gap
The skills gap is an important issue to consider when it comes to employability. Employers often look for candidates with a specific combination of hard and soft skills and finding those who can correctly combine these different abilities can be difficult. Closing this skills gap means investing in initiatives such as mentorship programs, apprenticeships and targeted educational campaigns that create a more qualified workforce. Doing so would ensure there is a match between employers’ needs and employees’ qualifications, creating employment opportunities for those seeking them. In today’s competitive job market, bridging this gap has become crucial for allowing individuals to use the full extent of their employability potential.
What it means for Housing Associations
Housing associations are being put in a difficult position due to the current skills gap in employment. Because of this deficit, it’s more challenging for these organizations to acquire new tenants, as well as to ensure their existing ones stay on board with successful tenancy sustainment. With an inability to provide the employment offerings that potential residents are seeking, housing associations may find themselves falling behind those that do. Therefore, it is clear that mitigating the effects of this skills gap should be a top priority, so as not to hinder their ability to remain competitive in today’s market and continue providing quality housing options for those in need.
What it means for tenants
The skills gap we are faced with is a major issue that not only hurts businesses but individual tenants as well. It prevents many from having the opportunity to transition into meaningful full-time employment and secure stable long-term livelihoods. Those looking for promotions and wage increases may also be denied due to a lack of technical, interpersonal or soft skills. This puts them at an additional disadvantage, as they have trouble competing in the labour market. Everyone should have access to the resources necessary to regularly update their skillset and bridge this gap; until this happens, there will remain countless individuals limited in what they can accomplish in their careers.
How can Housing Associations help overcome the challenge and support their tenants
Closing the skills gap is an important priority for businesses looking to stay competitive and for individuals aiming to thrive in the workforce. There are several innovative ways that this problem can be addressed, such as via employment and skills platforms, like Skillzminer, that match available jobs with qualified candidates. Training programs not only teach new skills but can also provide job placement support. Apprenticeships provide on-the-job training while giving participants the chance to demonstrate their knowledge through practical application. Increasing access to education is another key way of addressing the skills gap; providing educational initiatives targeted towards certain groups of individuals or taking measures to reduce tuition costs would open up more avenues of opportunity and help close the gap.
A win-win situation
Closing the skills gap should always be a priority, as it can benefit both housing associations and their tenants. Equipping tenants with new skills, will help them to succeed later in life and maybe even provide better career prospects. This could potentially mean increased employment opportunities in the area, reducing the strain on funds paid by housing associations for social housing costs and increasing tenancy sustainment. It would also result in happier tenants that have higher aspirations and more motivation to better themselves which will in turn create a stronger sense of community ties between tenants and landlords. Investing time and resources now into addressing the skills gap is an investment towards a brighter future for all those involved. Sign up for our freemium package today and get started on closing the skills gap in your community.