The Sector Skills Council for the places where we live and work
Careers Advice Line 0800 056 7160
Formed in 1963, the London and Quadrant Housing Trust (L&Q) is the fourth largest housing association in England.
It manages 42,000 properties and houses 78,000 residents across London and the South East.
With its training and development recognised by the Sunday Times "Top 100 Companies" poll, L&Q invests around £1,100 per person, per year – three times the national industry average.
Training is delivered at the individual level through appraisal reports and manager referrals, or at the organisational level, to fulfil its business plan.
Bucking the trend for outsourcing, the majority of training is delivered on-site by the in-house team.
The company's training ethos is if you identify a training need don't think about a training course - think about how you can address that need in the workplace first.
L&Q is also introducing e-learning for its staff, accessible from their desktops. In addition, it also offers around 40 sponsorships a year to staff.
L&Q's graduate training programme is one of the first to be offered by a housing association and has helped draw high calibre graduates to the organisation.
And to help retain its experienced staff, L&Q monitors employee satisfaction in several ways including internal surveys, staff turnover analysis and trade union membership figures.
Staff also complete a survey which collects their views on training and development issues.
L&Q believes there is a direct link between investment in staff and the bottom line in terms of the level of service it provides to its residents.
