Case Studies
Martin Fox
Since completing the GEM Programme, Martin has progressed through three roles in development — from Assistant to Officer to Manager — delivering around 100 new homes a year across Yorkshire and Leicestershire.
Martin is originally from Leeds and always knew he wanted to work for a housing association after graduating — he just wasn't sure in which department. Despite several interviews, he struggled to break in without relevant experience. The GEM Programme changed that, helping him see how his Town Planning degree could translate directly into a development career and giving his job search the focus it needed.
The variety of CIH modules, the leadership skills developed, and the insight into all aspects of a housing association helped me progress quickly after finishing the programme — from Development Assistant to Development Officer to Development Manager.
Martin manages Stonewater's development programme across Yorkshire and Leicestershire, delivering around 100 new properties a year through a mix of S106 units and sites acquired and built out directly. He is involved from a site's inception right through to completion — seeing new homes handed over to tenants in need is, he says, genuinely satisfying.
Grab it with both hands — it's a great career choice. Look at the website of the housing association you're applying to. If the good news stories of the work they're doing don't inspire you to want to work in housing, then it might be the wrong industry. But if they do, go for it.
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