A seat at the table: a young professional’s Northern Housing Festival experience

Holly Watson, Graduate Trainee in Housing Strategy and Partnerships at North Yorkshire Council, shares her experience of attending and speaking at her first Northern Housing Festival, and why supporting young professionals is vital to the sector’s future.

The Northern Housing Festival marked my first time not only attending a conference, but speaking at one too – something I didn’t expect to say just six months into my graduate role.

I gained CIH membership in January through my position as a Graduate Trainee in Housing Strategy and Partnerships at North Yorkshire Council. As a young professional at the beginning of my career, I was keen to make the most of the learning and development opportunities that come with membership. I was especially interested in getting involved in CIH Futures, which does brilliant work advocating for young colleagues in the sector and raising the profile of housing careers. It was therefore a real privilege to be invited to speak on that very subject at the Northern Housing Festival after only a few weeks of membership.

My first face-to-face CIH event since joining offered a diverse range of sessions with a clear focus on housing in the North. These ranged from legislative updates and economic insights to debates on retrofitting and best practice around Tenant Satisfaction Measures. As someone relatively new to the sector, the sessions were incredibly informative and gave me a much broader understanding of the landscape I operate in.

After spending the first day meeting new colleagues and absorbing expert knowledge on topics like devolution and asset management, I had the honour of speaking in the closing keynote session on attracting and retaining young talent in the housing sector. This was by far the largest public speaking opportunity of my career, and I was lucky to have such a positive debut.

I shared the stage with Dr Bekah Ryder, Ryan Barclay and Rachael Williamson as Chair – all of whom were incredibly welcoming. Our discussion was both fascinating and thoroughly enjoyable. We explored the importance of offering young people meaningful work and supporting them to make a difference in people’s lives, which is what motivates many to stay in the sector, even if they initially ‘fall into’ it. We also highlighted the crucial role that internships, graduate schemes and strong partnerships between housing providers and schools and universities play in building greater awareness of housing careers at an earlier age.

I learned so much from the discussion, which was underpinned by the Voices of Future report commissioned by CIH, while also benefitting enormously from a professional development perspective. I ended the day with greater confidence, new connections and a valuable level of professional experience that colleagues my age don’t usually get access to.

Opportunities to attend conferences are incredibly valuable for young housing professionals, because of the rich learning and networking experiences they offer. They benefit those of us who are new to the sector on an individual level, but they also strengthen the organisations we belong to, supporting a culture of professional development, curiosity and expertise. Most importantly, the collaboration and knowledge-sharing that events like the Northern Housing Festival enable ultimately benefits residents. The innovative, customer-focused ethos that runs through CIH events encourages us all to re-think approaches and continue to improve the services we provide to those in need of affordable housing – which is exactly what motivates young people who join the sector to dedicate their careers to social housing.

Attending and speaking at my first conference so early in my career has reinforced to me how vital it is to give young professionals a seat at the table. I’m excited to continue learning and supporting the future of the housing sector.