New Charter Housing Trust Group is an organisation in the East Manchester area,

employing 800 predominantly local people. It didn’t take long for us to recognise that

disabled people are over-represented in social housing but under-represented as

employees within the housing sector.

Since then, New Charter has taken positive action to remedy this by joining the Chartered Institute of Housing’s Positive Action for Disability Programme. New Charter was the first North West organisation to sign up to the campaign designed to help housing organisations to improve their front line practice and performance on disability equality in the workplace.

Since joining the programme, New Charter has employed one trainee which has subsequently become a permanent position offering invaluable contribution to the business. The scheme offers a two-year traineeship which combines work placement with a course of academic study at either Foundation Degree or Post Graduate Degree. The long term ambition is that this will eventually lead to full time employment for trainees –opening up new doors, choices and opportunities – where once, few existed.

The programme involves a number of support measures for trainees;

• On-going support to trainees throughout their training programme
• An external and internal mentor for each trainee who meets with the trainee no less than six times a year
• A budget for trainees to access personal development skills training where they identify a need that is not being met elsewhere in the package
• An E-forum and group action learning for trainees

Part of this initiative means opening up the door for trainees to take on a distance learning course with the Chartered Institute of Housing. One of our trainees, Debbie, took a course for a Certificate in Access to Housing (Level 3). She has three modules to pass which will take 12 months to complete at which point Debbie intends to embark upon a Masters Degree in Housing.

We’ve worked hard to promote the inclusion of disabled people in our company, and because of this, we were asked, in 2010, to write an award submission surrounding the CIH Positive Action for Disability campaign which CIH went on to win.

“The programme has allowed me to not only get back to work which I had begun to think would not happen, certainly in the near future, but has also given me an opportunity to work within an area which is both fulfilling and rewarding”

“New Charter has offered a great career opportunity to a disabled person as a direct result of working with the Chartered Institute of Housing on their Positive Action for Disability programme. It has turned out to be a very successful partnership, and I can see us continuing this in years to come. It has met all of my expectations and improved the diversity of our Organisation.”

“I think it’s a really positive move on the part of the CIH and New Charter Housing as disabled people are under-represented in the workplace. On a personal note I found the interviewing an extremely enjoyable experience and I met some great people along the way”.

See www.newcharter.co.uk for full details of employment opportunities.