“When we invest in community engagement, employment and skills, we are investing in ourselves and our future.” Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
There is a strong case to be made for enhancing community engagement through employment and skills platforms. By providing opportunities for people to access quality training and development programmes, as well as gainful employment, housing associations can create positive social and economic outcomes for the communities they serve. This in turn helps to create more cohesive and sustainable communities. In this blog post, we will explore some of how housing associations can use employment and skills platforms to enhance community engagement. We hope that this will provide some useful insights for those working in this sector.
Community disengagement and its consequences
Community disengagement is an issue that impacts us all, yet it’s often overlooked. We are all intrinsically connected, and our growth or decline as a society is tied to how actively we engage in our collective well-being. When community members become disconnected in any way — whether because of apathy, ignorance, or any other reason — we all suffer the consequences. Communities with low levels of engagement not only experience lower overall morale but also tend to have higher crime rates and less emphasis on improving public services. Thus, it is abundantly clear that unless we strengthen the connections between people in a given community, everyone suffers from the resulting maladies. We must strive to combat community disengagement now before its grip engulfs us even further.
Helping to solve community disengagement
With the right tools, connecting communities to empowered opportunities can become easier than ever. Employment and skills platforms allow individuals to tap into job offerings, local educational resources, professional development courses and more. By leveraging these platforms to reach out to underprivileged and historically disenfranchised groups within communities, those who may lack access or awareness can be made aware of and inspired towards self-improvement with the necessary resources and support. Applying pressure on inequality has been proven to successfully increase education outcomes, employment rates and other measures that define community engagement. Therefore, such platforms should not only be embraced for their immense potential but also for their ability to directly affect change in today’s most pressing socioeconomic issues.
The benefits of using employment and skills platforms
Employment and skills platforms are invaluable tools for individuals and communities alike. For individuals, these have the potential to offer a more convenient way for employees and employers to connect, allowing people to browse potential job opportunities, customize their CVs, or even book online skill-building courses. This makes it easier than ever for highly-skilled professionals to find career opportunities with appropriate remuneration. On the other hand, these platforms also help communities benefit from the unique wealth of knowledge, experience, and talent that their resident workforce has to offer. Businesses can easily access specialised workers who are local and willing to engage in short-term projects or long-term commitments. Local authorities can use these platforms as a platform for “upskilling” programs; allowing citizens to create new skill sets that would enable them for better jobs and higher wages. Employment and skills platforms are not only a powerful asset for individuals but also provide immense value to entire communities – making them an invaluable resource indeed!
Success stories
Employment and skills platforms are quickly becoming invaluable resources for those seeking work or wishing to advance their career. Companies such as Skillzminer demonstrate how success can be found when there is access to the right resources. One user was hired by a Fortune 500 company within weeks of starting on WeSkill, another found their first job in over 2 years. These stories provide living proof of the effectiveness of employment and skills platforms, which enable users to secure jobs, learn new skills and create unique opportunities for themselves. Thanks to these platforms, individuals who may not have had access to some of these advantages before now have an invaluable resource to get ahead in the workforce.
Sign up for an employment or skills platform today
Housing Associations should invest in signing up for an employment or skills platform to improve tenancy sustainment. Not only does it better support tenants on a practical level, but helps strengthen the community and build positive relationships between landlords, tenants and neighbours – all of which are beneficial in managing and sustaining tenancies. A platform like Skillzminer could provide tenants with access to job opportunities and training opportunities that would help enhance their employability prospects. Moreover, by staying abreast of current trends with training courses around design and technology, these associations could inform and work together with tenants to promote schemes such as home insulation – reducing energy bills while creating healthier homes and positioning housing associations at the forefront of innovation.
Conclusion
Community engagement is a critical issue and one that employment and skills platforms can help to mitigate. By providing access to job opportunities, and online and offline training, Skillzminer offers a way for people of all ages to improve their skill sets. Not only does this lead to better job prospects, but it also helps build more engaged and productive communities. If you’re looking for ways to help your community, why not start with Skillzminer? Sign up for our freemium package today!