At the mid point in National Careers Week yesterday, the Peabody COO highlighted the “critical skills crisis” facing the housing sector, and said it is “down to all of us to take action”.

Opening the second day of the CIH’s Scotland’s Housing Festival, Elly’s keynote speech provided the perfect platform to launch the next phase of her presidential campaign – the CHOOSE HOUSING toolkit – alongside a rousing call for the sector to do more to promote housing as a career of choice.

“We all have a responsibility to act. If we want a thriving housing sector, we must work together to attract and inspire the next generation to make housing a career of choice,” Elly told delegates.

“The housing sector is facing a critical skills crisis, and it’s down to all of us to take action. Without great people, we won’t just fail to build new homes—we’ll struggle to maintain the ones we already have. CHOOSE HOUSING is about harnessing our collective power to change this, making housing a career of choice, and ensuring we have the skilled workforce needed to deliver safe, sustainable homes for the future.”

The toolkit provides resources and guidance on how to raise awareness of the career opportunities the housing sector provides. Alongside suggestions of how and where to promote housing careers the toolkit provides a variety of designed but unbranded handouts and social media graphics assets to enable anyone, from any organisation, to walk into a community event, school or college and promote housing as a career of choice.

Commenting on the toolkit launch, Gavin Smart, CIH chief executive, said: “The housing sector is crammed with opportunities, talent and purpose. We need to create awareness of the career opportunities the social housing sector provides. The Choose Housing toolkit is a brilliant resource that provides busy professionals with the targeted messaging and practical tools to effortlessly promote housing as a career of choice.

“For our sector to thrive, it’s vital that we all get behind Elly’s campaign and advocate – loudly- about why everyone should to CHOOSE HOUSING.”