Platform Housing are building a professional housing workforce

Through CIH qualifications with Access Training
For Platform Housing Group, investing in people has always been central to delivering high-quality services and safe, well-managed homes. With around 50,000 homes, 2,000 colleagues and operations across central England, Platform recognises that professionalism, competence and strong values must sit at the heart of housing delivery.

That ethos is championed by Linda, from Platform’s Apprenticeships and Qualifications Team, who has spent nearly 40 years in local government and housing, and more than 25 years working with apprentices and professional qualifications.

“I truly believe qualifications and apprenticeships enhance careers,” Linda explains. “They shouldn’t be a tick-box exercise. They should give people real learning, confidence and the opportunity to grow and ultimately help to make the housing sector great.”

A shared commitment to housing professionalism
Platform’s relationship with Access Training began with a shared understanding of housing and a mutual commitment to high standards. In September 2023, the organisation launched its first closed cohort of CIH Level 4 qualifications delivered by Access Training. The partnership worked immediately.

“We both care about housing,” says Linda. “I’ve worked on rents, tenant issues and customer cases, so I understand the breadth of challenges across housing. That experience reinforces how important it is that colleagues are well trained and supported, and Access really understood that.”

The CIH qualifications aligned naturally with Platform’s support of the Housing Competency and Conduct Standard, which focuses on professionalism, accountability and resident safety.

“The Competency and Conduct Standard isn’t just a requirement, it supports our values and our responsibility to customers.”

Flexible learning, meaningful support
Access Training’s delivery model has been central to the programme’s success. With colleagues spread across multiple regions, and used to working digitally since Covid, online half-day sessions via Teams made learning accessible without adding travel pressures.

The model also helped break down silo working, bringing colleagues from different regions together to share experiences and best practice, particularly valuable following mergers and organisational change.

Learners receive strong ongoing support, with tutors responsive to feedback, clear timescales for assignment marking, recorded sessions, and monthly progress reporting.

“The monitoring has been invaluable,” Linda notes. “We can see where learners are progressing or struggling and work together with Access to put support plans in place. There’s patience, flexibility and genuine care.”

Growing demand, growing confidence
Since that first cohort, Platform has run at least one CIH Level 4 cohort every year, with 10–14 learners each time, alongside increasing demand for Level 3 qualifications and housing maintenance routes.

Today, Platform has around 150 colleagues studying, including 70 CIH learners, representing 7% of the workforce.

People join housing from a wide range of backgrounds, including retail, dentistry and construction, bringing transferable skills and fresh perspectives into the sector.

“People don’t always aspire to work in housing,” Linda reflects. “But we want them to, and we want them to stay. Qualifications help build careers from the bottom up.”

Advice to others
Linda’s advice to other housing associations is simple:

“Enable people to learn properly. Let them take something meaningful from it and grow. Talk to Access Training to shape the right programmes for your organisation. The outcomes, for colleagues, customers and the sector, are worth it.”

With a clear commitment to professional standards and a trusted training partner, Platform is helping raise the bar for housing.
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To speak to our team about CIH qualifications and apprenticeships get in touch with Access Training to start the conversation.