Salford housing staff to use new course to help develop communities
Salford-based housing company Salix Homes is the first organisation in the country using a new course to train staff and help transform neighbourhoods in the area.
The course is one module of a foundation degree in sustainable communities starting at the University of Salford in September and is the only one of its kind in the country.
Employees from Salix Homes, Salford City Council's housing management company for central Salford, are part of a national pilot which sees the course being used by organisations to develop staff as well as university students.
The twelve week course will help staff to identify and prioritise areas for improvements in communities and develop neighbourhood action plans to create better places to live and work.
It focuses on understanding sustainable communities and will look at how Salix Homes can work with its partners to improve the performance and sustainability of neighbourhoods and drive forward service improvements across central Salford.
The full degree was introduced by the Homes and Communities Agency to give people who work in communities additional knowledge that they can use to improve neighbourhoods.
Jackie Crook, neighbourhood champion at Salix Homes is one of the 17 employees on the course.
She said: "The course will help us improve our understanding of the issues that affect communities within different neighbourhoods. This knowledge will enable us to tailor the delivery of services by both Salix Homes and our partners to improve quality of life for our customers. I am genuinely excited to be part of the first course of this kind in the country."
Joe Willis, Salix Homes' director of services in neighbourhoods said: "This is a great opportunity for us to add value to the work we're already doing with our partners to improve neighbourhoods, support the ongoing regeneration of central Salford and above all make our communities sustainable.
"We're delighted to be the first to use the degree as a way of developing staff and the new skills that are learned will be used to benefit all of our communities."
Added Julia Lucas, course facilitator and director of the exCHANGE programme at the university: "We're very pleased to be working in partnership with Salix Homes on such an important issue.
"The level of commitment to the area and to making life better for Salford’s communities among Salix Homes' staff is impressive and working with them on real issues in such a hands-on way is refreshing and challenging for us."
More information on the creating sustainable communities module at http://www.hcaacademy.co.uk/courses/generic-module
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Notes for editors
Salix Homes Ltd is helping to deliver Salford City Council's five-year strategy to bring all council housing up to the Decent Homes Standard, a multi-million pound vision for the city.
Salix Homes is an Arms Length Management Organisation (ALMO) and is a not-for-profit company responsible for the day-to-day management of 10,600 homes across Central Salford, Rainsough Brow and Beechfarm.
It also assists the council in the operational delivery of the Housing Market Renewal Programme.
For more information on Salix Homes, please contact Public Relations Officer, Katy Barnes on 0161 793 3157.
