Ethos Public Relations Manchester

Housing providers still struggle with engagement

by Ethos public relations

Tenant engagement may be high on the agenda but it’s still a difficult area to get right according to e-learning provider Housing e-Academy, part of the Virtual College.

Chloe Weatherhead, Head of Housing e-Academy said: “There can be a reluctance on the part of tenants to get involved in formal participation structures and this is particularly true of ‘hard to hear’ groups such as young people and BME tenants.  Tenant engagement often results in the same tenants attending most meetings – hardly representative of the customer base.

Information gathered by Housing e-Academy from its extensive national client base of housing associations and ALMOs suggest barriers to engagement include the practical - access to transport or childcare - to more personal reasons such as a lack of confidence.

Housing e-Academy’s work with housing providers across the country suggests that creative housing providers are moving away from the old fashioned ‘one size fits all’ strategy.

“Our clients tell us that the most successful engagement allows tenants to make their own choices by offering a range of opportunities which allows them to organise their own time and activities rather than following what their landlord dictates,” said Chloe.

An e-learning solution to tenant engagement offers numerous benefits for the tenants such as providing an obvious value as they can access free training courses with CPD accredited certificates. It is also suitable for diverse tenant groups including the young, those with disabilities, parents and those in full time employment. 

It can be accessed at a time, place and pace to suit the learner so barriers such as money, travel and childcare are broken and because they work individually confidence is not an issue. It enables the tenant to organise their own time and work at their own pace – not their landlords and also improves an individual’s’ IT skills.

Housing providers also benefit as e-learning provides a full auditing tool based on postcodes so that the provider can see where tenants are engaging. It is also extremely cost effective if measured against traditional face to face training.

Self registration means Housing Officers don’t have to get involved as tenants are organising their own activities and it can be used as a stand alone tool or as part of existing and future engagement opportunities and fits into a blended learning approach.

“In 2010 we have seen the number of registered Virtual College e-learners is growing at an average rate of around 3,000 per month as businesses recognise the benefits of e-learning as a communication tool,” said Chloe.

“The benefits of using e-learning when engaging with tenants mean the organisation can build better relationships, enhance customer loyalty, accountability, social capital and community capacity. This is central to achieving service improvement and community regeneration."

For more information about e-learning call 01943 885085 or e-mail info@housingea.co.uk.

Posted at 24^th November 2010