Colleges need to share funding

I manage the Thames Valley Housing Association Training Centre which has provided a wide range of qualifications and services for employers, residents and other individuals since 2001. We have applied for funding for our courses and approached colleges to share their funding with us, but to no avail.

This has not stopped us from developing our training packages, however. We currently fund training for our own employees; other organisations pay a fee for us to deliver these courses to their staff.

We currently work with 46 companies and have delivered to more than 450 learners. We also launched a residents’ training and employment centre in 2009. We deliver the Certificates in Housing levels 2, 3 and 4 and also the City and Guilds NVQ in housing levels 2, 3 and 4. Our courses are run by housing practitioners who have an understanding of different roles and responsibilities in the housing field.

The Certificate in Housing equips employees with key skills, profes-sional sector knowledge, customer service and management skills. Each student has the opportunity to acquire professional membership with the Chartered Institute of Housing by undertaking this course. I do not think the CIH will drop its courses as suggested in your article. As a professional body it is in its interest to carry on.

The CIH is progressing development of the Certificate in Housing to attract funding for colleges. Let’s just hope if funding is again provided, the colleges will share it with professional training providers to supplement their training courses.

Michele Densham, training centre manager, Thames Valley Housing Association