National Housing Maintenance Forum

Liverpool Housing Trust

Think Red & Measuring Up

In response to our contractors request for training in regards to equality and diversity and tailoring their services, LHT Property Services developed the THINK RED project and Measuring Up project, aimed at Contractor front line staff.

This involved a "toolkit" which incorporated numerous forms of training. It consists of;

… show »Translation books detailing key phrases in over 10 languages to assist with day to day interaction with customers.

A contractor DVD focusing on the equality and diversity strands, it was introduced to provide additional guidance and was designed to focus on improving customer care. The DVD is used by contractors at the pre-contract induction and was LHTs 2nd contractor training DVD, the first of which focussed on improving contractor on site health and safety.

A contractor handbook, this supports contractors in understanding our key requirements and what contractors can expect from LHT as a client.

Contractor equality and diversity breakfast sessions delivering information and inviting responses from contractors.

The Afta thought training day. The training day delivered interactive sessions through the use of drama, capturing real life scenarios; developed through consultation with customers, highlighting and raising awareness of what can sometimes be considered sensitive issues.

Access to Construction Grant Funding - LHT have worked in partnership with ConstructionSkills for a number of years and were influential in accessing construction funding for contractors to invest in internal training.

Group Training Association - Working with Constructionskills and key partners, the GTA was born. It is an exciting national trial and its focus is on supporting local displaced apprentices. The GTA employs the apprentice and then co-ordinates placements with the contractors who have signed up to the project. Displaced apprentices are sought from local colleges and educational schemes, they are interviewed to monitor their suitability for the scheme and placements are co-ordinated to suit.

Setting Targets - Our work has enabled us to set supportive but challenging contractor targets which include to CSCS, ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO18001 and Investors in People Contractor Conference - Contractor conferences are held every 2 years and are attended by approx 200 delegates which focus on key industry topics designed to add value. Workshops have included contractor procurement, sustainability and health and safety.

Transitional Employment Programme - LHT have supported the transitional employment programme and facilitated a number of contractor placements to people who have been previously long term unemployed, offering opportunities within the construction sector.

DIWise - LHT contractors have provided training sessions regarding; joinery, electrical, and heating. A booklet titled DIWise has been designed for tenants giving hints and guidance on how to do some basic tasks.

Tenants Conference - A tenants conference is held every 2 years, where workshops are held for contractors to capacity build the skills of customers.

Contractor Commitments - A set of principles which we expect the contractor to meet when delivering the service to our tenants. They are summarized in a credit card size leaflet for ease of storage and access for operatives.