Client Case Study: Compass Housing Services

Leadership development, workforce planning and succession planning are vital for the fast growing, Australian community housing provider, Compass Housing.

Training Officer Lisa Jansen says the organisation is preparing for staffing changes and ensuring its emerging and future leaders have the right skills.

In November 2018 it started a customised and contextualised leadership and management program designed with Forsythes Training. A total of 26 staff completed an initial 6-month program based around eight core units from the Cert IV in Leadership and Management. Staff are then given the option to go on to complete the full qualification in the following six months.

Lisa likes the blended delivery approach with a combination of face to face classroom sessions as well as online work.

“We have staff from across NSW, Queensland and New Zealand completing the program.”

“There are many benefits from staff coming together for training including team building and networking.”

Emotionally intelligent leaders

Lisa says one of the most beneficial parts of the training for participants and the organisation has been the use of Human Synergistics® tools and the unit on emotional intelligence. In Compass’ people focused line of work the ability to be self-aware, to motivate and to interact well is vital.

“Emotionally intelligent leaders and managers know their strengths and challenges and how to achieve outcomes.”

“Human Synergistics® tools give you measures of your own as well as other people’s current thinking, behaviour and leaderships styles. They also allow you to see how others view you.”

“We are looking at running further sessions on emotional intelligence for other staff outside the leadership development program.”

Quality leadership trainers

The skill and industry experience of Forysthes Training’s leadership and management trainers has also impressed Lisa.

More than that it is their availability to students by email and phone that has been appreciated by Compass staff.

“The additional support days where trainers are available to students is a really great service.”

Smart and Skilled funding makes leadership training cost effective

As a not for profit organisation cost effective training is vital for Compass.

Forsythes Training introduced Lisa to the subsidies available under the NSW Government’s Smart and Skilled program and helped to obtain substantial subsidies for the training.

“Smart and Skilled funding has allowed us to offer this training to more staff that we originally thought was possible and makes our training budget go further.”

Lisa says the other reasons for choosing Forysthes Training are the fact that they are a local provider and the level of professionalism from the trainers and the entire team.

“The Forysthes Training staff make things easy.”

“Nothing is ever a problem; they are always contactable and get back to me quickly.”

Compass Housing is a not for profit organisation that manages more than 6,500 social and affordable housing properties in NSW, South East Queensland and New Zealand