It's time for us all to Be EPIC
No matter who you are, home is the place where everything begins and if you work hard, you can achieve anything you want, no matter where you come from. The work we do as housing professionals is so important, that's why for for her year-long presidential campaign, Jill Murray BA FCIH developed Be EPIC:
Life is an open-ended learning opportunity, the more you learn, the more transferable skills you develop.
You can always hone your skills and improve your knowledge so we should never stop learning or developing.
Of course, qualifications are important, but there's much more to professionalism than technical competencies. Without continuous development, how can we say we're being professional?
Every piece of development work you do is an investment not just in your role, but in yourself. Living and being professional is a ‘passport’ to growth. Why not start with the CIH self-assessment tool and identify areas where you could start to focus your development?
To Be EPIC, you must take control and personal responsibility for your own development. With housing, you work in a sector full of opportunities, so seek them out! Strive for achievement and learn from those around you.
At CIH, we're here for you whatever the stage of your career. Not only can you study with the CIH Housing Academy, but you can also become a CIH member.
With membership, we have a long list of benefits that could help you on your professionalism journey. From free events for members, our mentoring platform, the extensive Knowledge Hub, plus so much more.
What it means to Be EPIC
Be EPIC championed the elements that can make us competent professionals, highlighting how technical competencies must be coupled with personal competencies and behaviors, continued learning and hard work to be successful. The campaign promoted how an incredible career in housing can be achieved, alongside the diverse range of job opportunities that are on offer in the sector.
Working in housing, we'll all have many goals and things we want to achieve, but if you Be EPIC, you can:
- Be a better housing professional in your current role and to achieve more job satisfaction
- Evolve and grow, to achieve a new position and/or progress up the career ladder
- Reach or maintain a senior position (with mandatory qualifications).
Jill Murray BA FCIH | CIH president
It is a pivotal time for the country, for housing and for CIH. It’s a time for radical change and we must do what we can to make things better. If hearing my story inspires one person to make a positive contribution in a fulfilling career, then it’ll be worth it. Housing should be a career of choice and profession to be proud of so that’s what I’m campaigning for.
Action for Children
Alongside ‘Be EPIC’, Jill also chose to raise money for Action for Children, a children's charity created to help vulnerable, disabled children, young people and their families throughout the UK. Their vision is that every child and young person has a safe and happy childhood, and the foundations they need to thrive.
"Too many children are growing up with their families struggling to make ends meet. Fact is that we may be seeing the start of the greatest rise in child poverty in a generation because the 2023 figures confirm a staggering 200,000 more children are in poverty compared to 2022 and the Institute of Fiscal Studies are projecting a devastating 50% increase in child poverty by the end of the decade.
This is why building foundations for children to have a happy, healthy and supported life, fits incredibly with my ‘Be EPIC’ campaign, and I would like to thank everyone who is kind enough to support this wonderful charity which will make a positive difference to the life of a child."
Jill Murray BA FCIH, former CIH president
