Skills and experience
Participants in the programme acquire new skills and practical experience of regeneration projects. Kerry Kirkpatrick of Knowsley Housing Trust said: “What I found really useful was the opportunity to view what other organisations were doing and their honesty in saying what had worked and what hadn’t. I don’t think this level of openness and insight would have been available on a more academic course that focused on theory.”
The course encourages participants to learn from one another. Peter Broad of Atrium City Living commented: “The programme was a fantastic opportunity for me to meet young professionals from other housing associations and share ideas and experiences.”
Students on a
master planning
exercise
Participants receive mentoring from experienced regeneration professionals, with this support continuing after the programme has been completed. The mentors take part on a voluntary basis and receive Institute of Leadership & Management accredited mentoring training through Compass. Pauline Davis, Managing Director of Compass steering group member NewHeartlands, said: “Compass Regeneration Academy Merseyside promotes a ‘can do’ approach which is necessary in the potential leaders of tomorrow.”
During the first year of the programme, Compass was evaluated by the Institute for Political & Economic Governance at Manchester University. The evaluation found that the programme had made significant progress towards creating a group of potential leaders for the Merseyside regeneration community and had established strong support among local organisations.
Wide participation
In addition to employees from the seven founding organisations, participants in Compass have come from local authorities and private developers. Members of the community are eligible for bursary places on the course. The broad mix of students ensures that the programme delivers maximum benefit to the Merseyside regeneration sector and gives the participants a wider perspective on the different roles involved in regeneration.
Networking is a
key part of the
programme
Helen Jamieson, Project Manager for Compass, sees the programme being opened up to an even wider audience in the future. She said: “We’re looking at ways of getting young people involved in delivering some of the training, and in the long term I think the skills and knowledge that the course provides would be of great value to the police, primary care trusts and other organisations involved in community regeneration. ”
Topics associated with this project
Governance, Housing, Neighbourhood, North West, Planning, Private sector, Skills, Training