duration

Location
Virtual

People are the sector’s biggest assets. Hear what the next generation wants. Explore practical ways to make organisations fit for the future. Find out how to attract talent, build skills, retain experience and prepare teams for a digital revolution.  

  • Read more

    The sector is facing a multitude of changes – bringing challenges and opportunities. Organisations must retain hard-won experience while attracting a new generation with different expectations of leadership, development, flexibility and work-life balance. How do we make the most of this “perfect storm”?

    Chaired by Olivia Richards, winner of HQN’s Housing’s Next Generation 2025, this event puts the people who will shape housing’s future at the centre of the conversation. Olivia will share her own personal story about her route into the sector and what helped her build confidence, credibility and a career with purpose.

    Hear from a range of different voices:

    Clare Ashton, Head of HR and Organisational Development at Rykneld Homes will explain its work with education partners and T Levels.

    Hear from HQN’s Next Generation cohort – Olivia will lead a panel discussion with Next Generation professionals at different stages of their carriers. Hear their views, aspirations and challenges to progression, work-life balance, glass ceilings. Find out what will make the next generation of people choose to stay in housing.

    Debate the issues – go away with practical solutions and ideas.

    People are housing’s biggest asset. They are also one of its greatest vulnerabilities.

    Housing has a powerful recruitment proposition: the chance to do socially conscious work that improves lives. But reputational pressure, public scrutiny and the reality of overstretched services can create a gap between that promise and people’s day-to-day experience.

    Staff may join to make a difference, but social purpose alone will not make them stay if workload, culture, progression and support do not match the promise.

    The warning signs are clear:

    UNISON’s 2024-25 survey of more than 1,100 housing workers found that:

    • 77% described their work as stressful
    • 45% said they lacked the training needed for their job
    • Nearly two-thirds were looking for another job
    • More than half were considering leaving the sector.

    The age profile adds further urgency – the balance to retain expertise and nurture the future generation is a pressing issue:

    • 76% of housing association homes in England, showed that only 5.3% of the workforce was aged 16-24
    • Meanwhile, 49% of the workforce, 71% of executives and 83% of board members were aged 45 or over.

    Demand, in particular, for technical and professional roles is making them difficult to recruit to and retain. A recent RICS survey shows:

    • 87% say the surveying skills gap is affecting the profession;
    • 27% say the impact is critical.

    The Competence and Conduct Standard, while a welcome requirement aimed at rebuilding tenant trust and raising professional standards across the housing sector, will also place additional pressure on already stretched resources.

    AI is fundamentally reshaping how work gets done — automating routine tasks, helping employees work more efficiently, and changing the skills organisations value. Rather than simply replacing jobs, AI is increasingly changing the nature of roles and how people contribute. Housing leaders must support colleagues to use AI responsibly and redesign work thoughtfully, while preserving human judgement and accountability and maintaining the personal service that residents value.

    Why attend?:

    • Understand current retention, turnover and workforce risks, and what they mean for service quality
    • Prepare for the Competence and Conduct Standard and demonstrate that staff capability supports the Consumer Standards
    • Tackle shortages in surveying, repairs and maintenance, including options for growing in-house capability
    • Build stronger entry routes through colleges, T Levels, apprenticeships, graduate pathways and career change
    • Create credible progression, mentoring and inclusive cultures that address glass ceilings and support work-life balance
    • Plan for AI, future skills and job redesign without leaving colleagues behind.

    Who should attend?

    • HR, people and culture, organisational development and employee experience leads
    • Recruitment, talent, apprenticeships, early-careers and learning and development teams
    • Directors, executives and board members responsible for culture, capacity and organisational resilience
    • Heads of housing, operations, asset management, repairs and maintenance facing skills or succession risks
    • Workforce planning, performance, quality and regulatory assurance leads
    • Digital, transformation, data and AI leads planning how roles and capability will change
    • Managers and emerging leaders interested in progression, inclusion and the future of housing careers.
  • Our speakers

    Olivia Richards, Research and Improvement Analyst, Hedyn
    Olivia is a Research and Improvement Analyst at Hedyn, supporting evidence-led service improvement and strategic decision making through research and insight. Her work focuses on developing practical, research-informed recommendations to strengthen services and outcomes for customers.
    Olivia brings experience from clinical psychology and work with disability charities, which informs her interest in vulnerability and making services more accessible.

    Lorna Biddell, Co-Creation Officer – Resident Engagement Team, London Borough of Redbridge

    Lorna is a co-creation officer with just over two years’ experience in the housing sector. She was looking for a role where she could make a real difference, and leading on co-creation has allowed her to do exactly that.

    In her role, she uses performance data to identify key areas of resident dissatisfaction and leads collaborative service improvement projects. These projects bring staff and residents together as equal partners, ensuring lived experience directly shapes recommendations and outcomes.

    Tom, Winner of HQN Housing’s Next Generation competition 2022

    Tom has held a successful and enjoyable career in housing for over 14 years, starting as an Apprentice Housing Assistant, aged 16. Having worked in both the social and private rented sectors, Tom has a blend of experience spanning both operational and strategic functions, ranging from housing operations to data analytics, continuous improvement, project management and senior leadership. Tom was awarded as the winner of the Housing’s Next Generation Competition 2022, run by HQN.

    Tom is currently providing interim and project leadership consultancy to social housing providers, spanning both operational and transformation functions, and Tom is looking forward to sharing his experiences of building a career in housing, to foster a continued commitment to building our future workforce. Making a positive difference to customers’ lives, and providing much needed quality housing, is Tom’s reason for enjoying working in social housing.

    Nikkie Pullen, Head of Organisational Development, Abri
    Nikkie Pullen is Head of Organisational Development at Abri, one of the UK’s largest housing associations. She leads work on organisational effectiveness, workforce capability and professional standards, helping ensure colleagues have the skills, support and opportunities they need to deliver great services for residents and build successful careers in housing.

    Nikkie has led Abri’s preparation for the Competence and Conduct Standard and works across leadership development, culture, learning and career development. She also leads Abri’s early careers programme, supporting apprentices, graduates and work placements, as well as initiatives that encourage young people to see housing as a rewarding career choice. She is passionate about helping people develop, progress and thrive throughout their careers in the sector.

    Georgia Gallagher, Tenancy Sustainment and Visiting Officer Team Leader / Area Tenancy Manager, London Borough Brent Council
    Georgia began her career in housing in 2019, starting as a housing officer for a local authority in Kent, where she focused on homelessness. She then progressed to a Tenancy Officer role and specialised in supporting young people experiencing homelessness. During this time, she completed a Level 3 CIH qualification in Housing Practice. Georgia started a new role as an Area Tenancy Manager for the London Borough of Brent. In this role, she works closely with tenants, manages rent accounts, lettings, and tenancies and leads with empathy in addressing tenant queries. She also supports colleagues and contributes to additional projects within the organisation. In June 2026, Georgia took an additional role as a Tenancy Sustainment and Visting Officer Team Leader, overseeing a new team in Brent, who conduct verification visits across Brent, sign posting and supporting vulnerable tenants.

    Clare Ashton, Head of HR and Organisational Development, Rykneld Homes
    Clare Ashton is Head of HR and Organisational Development at Rykneld Homes Limited, a provider of C1 rated housing services in NE Derbyshire. Clare leads on HR and organisational development projects. Clare is passionate about learning and development and is currently undertaking a Level 5 certificate in housing. Clare works with local colleges and is a member of an employer board with an education provider promoting housing as a career of choice and supporting initiatives that encourage careers in housing.

  • Programme

    9:30am Welcome and introductions

    Olivia Richards, Research and Improvement Analyst, Hedyn

    9:40am Why housing, why stay? My route into the sector and what helped me grow

    Olivia Richards, Research and Improvement Analyst, Hedyn
    • Hear why a next-generation professional chose a career in housing and what has made her want to stay
    • Gain an honest perspective on building confidence, credibility and a career with purpose
    • Explore what employers can learn from her experience of challenge, change and merger in a Welsh housing context.

    10:10am Raising the bar: Competence, conduct and housing’s future workforce

    Nikkie Pullen, Head of Operational Development, Abri
    • What the Competence and Conduct Standard means for housing organisations and their people
    • Building the skills, knowledge and behaviours colleagues will need to meet changing expectations
    • Using competence and professional development to build confident teams, stronger careers and better services for residents.

    10:40am Break

    11:00am Building housing’s future workforce through T Levels 

    Clare Ashton, Head of HR and Organisational Development, Rykneld Homes
    • Connecting local talent with clear routes into skilled housing careers
    • Turning T-level placements into meaningful experience for students and employers
    • Practical lessons for landlords ready to grow their own future workforce.

    11:30am HQN Next Generation Panel: What makes housing a career worth staying for? 

    Chaired by: Olivia Richards, Research & Improvement Analyst, Hedyn
    Lorna Biddell, Co-Creation Officer – Resident Engagement Team, London Borough of Redbridge
    Tom, Winner of HQN Housing’s Next Generation competition 2022
    Georgia Gallagher, Tenancy Sustainment and Visiting Officer Team Leader / Area Tenancy Manager, London Borough Brent Council
    • Why housing? What attracts the next generation to the sector in the first place
    • Progression, culture and flexibility: What younger professionals expect from employers
    • Keeping good people: What makes someone build a career in housing rather than move on.

    12:10pm Q&A and discussion

    12:30pm Close

  • Cancellations and substitutions

    If you are unable to attend an event or public training course, please let us know in writing (email is fine) at least 48 hours before. Please email [email protected] Otherwise, a cancellation fee of £60 plus VAT will be chargeable. If you are using a package place to attend and do not inform us within the agreed time frame, then a place will be taken to cover your non-attendance. Cancellations must be made in writing, and will be acknowledged by HQN Limited.

  • Price and booking

    If you would like to send multiple members of your team to any of our events, please get in touch with [email protected] to find out about available deals for purchases of multiple places.

    Bookings are closed for this event.

    If you experience any issues when submitting your booking, please email [email protected] with the name and date of the session along with the delegate name(s), email address(es) and job title(s) and we'll process the booking for you.

Dates



This event comes with a professional development certificate

Making a booking:

You don’t need to be logged in to make a booking.

Step 1: Select the number of delegates you would like to book on this session
Step 2: Complete the delegate details
Step 3: Check the details, tick the consent box, and press the book now button
Step 4: Member discounts will automatically be applied on the next page
Step 5: To use a coupon code please enter this at the top of the checkout page by clicking on the link
Step 6: Complete the booking details
Step 7: Confirm your booking
Step 8: You will receive a confirmation email with an order number, if you don’t receive this within 24 hours please get in touch with us – [email protected]