L&Q BOOST diversity in the housing sector
L&Q are taking part in a collaboration between Greater Manchester Housing Providers (GMHP) and Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) to BOOST employment opportunities for ethnic minority employees in the housing sector, enabling them to enter leadership roles.
This pioneering programme is designed to challenge GMHP, a partnership of leading housing providers in the Greater Manchester area. It will address the underrepresentation of ethnic minority employees, challenging organisations to remove unfair barriers to leadership positions in order creating to create lasting cultural change.
Mentoring is central to the approach. Mentees will be supported with their personal growth and development, and also be encouraged to share their lived experience of working in the housing sector, and any barriers they have encountered to their career progression as a result of being from a diverse heritage. This information is then fed back and the learning is used to instigate positive change.
Following a successful pilot programme last year Greater Manchester Housing Providers (GMHP) and Manchester Metropolitan University came together in March to launch the BOOST programme.
Speaking at the launch Alyson Heald, NW Partnership Director at L&Q said:
“It is a privilege to be asked to be part of the BOOST programme, listening and learning from colleagues' lived experiences and working together to remove organisation barriers to create meaningful lasting change.
"L&Q are proud to be part of the GMHP partnership and it is these types of initiatives that demonstrate the joint desire to question the status quo and drive positive change across the sector.”
Professor Julia Rouse from Manchester Metropolitan University said:
“Talking about race at work makes people feel nervous and that can stop us from tackling the reality that ethnic minority colleagues face unfair barriers to progression.
"The Greater Manchester housing sector is showing real leadership by investing in a disruptive innovation process that builds the confidence and power to create organisational change so that ethnic minority leaders can emerge and thrive.
"By developing a movement of allies, we seek to fundamentally change the culture of social housing so that the leadership is more diverse and better able to serve the diverse lives of tenants.”
The three-year BOOST programme is being funded by Innovate UK. This is their first programme working with a partnership of businesses across a region and is a trailblazer to drive change across sectors.