By Simon Bernstein, Coach & Trainer in Customer Experience & Leadership for Social Housing
Ask a group of 14-year-olds what a career in social housing looks like, and you’ll likely be met with blank stares. Not because they’re disinterested—but because they simply don’t know it exists.
As a sector, we’ve done far too little to raise the curtain on the diverse and meaningful careers that social housing offers. From skilled trades to HR, customer service, community engagement, marketing, finance, and leadership—housing isn’t just bricks and mortar, it’s people and potential.
But if we don’t plant that seed early, someone else will.
That’s why it’s time we reimagine how we engage the next generation—not as a tick-box initiative, but as a cultural shift. The future of housing depends on our ability to attract, inspire, and develop talent long before it’s time to apply for a job.
Take Gentoo Housing Association in Sunderland. Their forward-thinking partnership with a local academy invites Year 10 students to explore construction through hands-on experience—an early intervention that’s already unlocking interest in apprenticeships and future careers. It’s not just smart recruitment—it’s social value in action.
Young people are looking for purpose. They want roles that make a difference, organisations that care, and cultures that reflect their values. Social housing can offer all of that—and more. But only if we show up, speak their language, and meet them where they are: in schools, in communities, online.
This isn’t just an HR challenge—it’s a leadership opportunity. CEOs and People Directors need to embed youth engagement into workforce strategy and community investment plans. Not later. Now.
Because we can’t build the future with yesterday’s workforce.
Let’s raise awareness, spark interest, and build pathways that excite and empower the next generation of housing professionals. If we don’t, we risk missing out on the very people who could transform our sector for the better.
This was all part of my discussion with three amazing year 9 students, Kiera, Daisy and Seb as part of my work with the NHMF focusing on recruitment, retention and culture. You can listen to that discussion here.
About the author:
Simon Bernstein is a Housing Association Coach & Trainer specialising in customer experience and leadership. He has over 20 years’ experience helping Housing Associations to develop, create and embed a culture which is built around delivering excellence of customer experience at its core. Get In Touch – Empathy Transformation
