The Sector Skills Council for the places where we live and work
Careers Advice Line 0800 056 7160
What career opportunities are there in housing?
There is a wide range of specialisms in housing from an emphasis on the maintenance of buildings to support for community development, regeneration and tenant support. Housing jobs offer great opportunities at all levels. You could start in administrative type roles within housing associations and then gain further housing qualifications as you go along. Alternatively there are lots of graduate entry opportunities in housing management.
What qualifications will I need to get a job in housing?
Level 3 qualifications such as A levels would put you in a good position to work towards further qualifications in Housing. The Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) offers a range of qualifications for people working in the sector.
Where could I find further information about jobs in housing?
You could get in touch with the professional body for the housing sector which is the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH).The CIH have an excellent website that will give you lots of information about careers and job opportunities. The website is www.cih.org.
What career opportunities are there in property?
The property sector offers a vast array of jobs. Most jobs in property involve being 'out and about' and talking to people. The types of jobs available include Town Planner, Estate Agent, Surveyor and Auctioneer.
What qualifications will I need to get a job in property?
This depends very much on the type and level of job you are interested in. For example, you may be able to secure a job in estate agency work without any formal qualifications (although you could work towards the Sale of Residential Property qualifications to improve you prospects of promotion) and other jobs within the property sector such as surveying or town planning require a degree.
Where could I get more information about jobs in property?
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) has a website with lots of information about surveying www.rics.org and the National Federation of Property Professionals (NFOPP) www.nfopp.co.uk would also be a good place to find out about jobs such as estate agency and block management.
What career opportunities are there in cleaning?
Cleaning jobs can give you an excellent opportunity to get a job with flexible working conditions and prospects of promotion. There are a variety of jobs within cleaning such as carpet/upholstery cleaning, window cleaning, highways cleaning or food premises cleaning. You could choose to get further cleaning qualification and work towards supervising or caretaking or you could branch out into other areas such as facilities management. Alternatively, you could gain experience and start your own business.
What qualifications will I need to get a job in cleaning?
You may be able to secure a job in cleaning with no set qualifications. However, in order to improve your prospects of promotion you could study towards an NVQ in Cleaning and Support Services.
Is cleaning a good route into management?
Yes it is. There is a shortage of people with good technical cleaning knowledge available to progress into management.
Where could I find more information about cleaning?
The British Institute of Cleaning Science (BICSc) www.bics.org.uk will be able to provide lots of information about careers in cleaning.
What is facilities management?
The people who work in Facilities Management provide the expertise and services to ensure the smooth running of many of the environments people use in their working and personal lives. It is the facilities management teams who work behind the scenes to support every aspect of the operations from building maintenance through to services such as catering, cleaning, reception and security.
What career opportunities are there in facilities management?
There are plenty of opportunities within the FM sector from Pest Control Technicians to being responsible for the facilities management of venues such as Wembly Arena. Facilities Management is a growing area and therefore offers excellent job prospects.
What qualifications will I need to get a job in facilities management?
It depends what area of FM you are interested in. For example to work in pest control you could work towards Royal Society for Public Health level 2 certificate in pest control or if you wanted to be a facilities manager you could study for a degree in facilities management.
How do I get my first job in FM?
You could look out for assistant or co-ordinator roles, i.e. first level opportunities, or you could take a lower level job in an FM department and look for progression opportunities.
Where could I find more information about Facilities Management?
You could get in touch with the British Institute of Facilities Management (BIFM). The website address is www.bifm.org.uk.
How do I become a Civil Enforcement Officer?
You should contact your local authority (or the company that the local authority has contracted out to) and apply directly to them.
If I have a job in parking, what qualifications could I take?
You could work towards the NVQ level 2 in controlling parking areas.
Where can I get more information about jobs in parking?
You could get in touch with the British Parking Association (BPA). The website is www.britishparking.co.uk.
