Pupils swopped the classroom for Flourish Homes’s office recently when they joined their parents at their desk for Take Our Sons and Daughters to Work Day.
The local housing association, which has around 4,000 homes in Frome, Shepton Mallet, Wells, Glastonbury, Street and surrounding villages, encouraged staff to bring their offspring to work on Thursday April 24 so that the young people could find out just what keeps their mums and dads busy while they are at school.
Seven youngsters left their school books behind and instead got a glimpse of what it’s like to work in housing and the different opportunities available at the Shepton Mallet-based affordable housing provider – from the ‘back office’ work in IT, finance and HR to frontline work as a surveyor and housing officer.
“We employ nearly 200 people at Flourish Homes and there are so many different types of careers on offer here, such as care and support workers, handymen, grounds maintenance workers to surveyors, administrators and public relations,” explained HR Business Partner Jane King.
“This is part of a programme of work we are doing to raise the profile of what it’s like to work for a housing association and to get young people to consider a career in housing and care and support. We have trainee positions and offer work experience to school pupils. We go to careers fairs and give talks to local schools, not just about career opportunities but also what young people need to think about when they apply for jobs and go to interviews. As an employer, this has also been an important aspect of the day. We hope it has helped these young people get a better understanding of what the world of work is like and offered them ideas about how best to sell their skills and knowledge to potential employers when they come to start their career.”
Local schools interested in organising a talk by Flourish Homes staff on career opportunities can contact the HR department on 01749 334666.
