Learn new skills with the Tenant Academy
The Tenant Academy Team work with Swindon Borough Council tenants and applicants on the housing register. We help each person to unlock their potential, develop skills and take positive steps towards their future.
The Tenant Academy team can offer you the support to get back into work. We can help prepare you to take your first steps towards employment. We can also provide advice on CV’s, job applications and interviews, working in partnership with local training providers to help you to gain new skills and qualifications.
Courses include:
- food and healthy eating
- cookery
- building confidence
- employability
- basic Maths and English
- managing your home
- budgeting
- art and design
Pre-tenancy training
The Tenant Academy have developed pre-tenancy training to give all new Swindon Borough Council tenants the opportunity to learn what it means to sign a tenancy agreement with us and what is expected of you as the tenant in your new home.
The pre-tenancy training is mandatory for everyone that is not already living in one of our properties. Find out more about the pre-tenancy training.
Links to the course will be sent directly to applicants’ emails as they get closer to a successful bid on the housing register. You must keep us informed of any changes to your contact details.
Once you have completed the course you will be able to download your certificate. We have details of everyone who has been enrolled and completed the course, so we will update your housing application. You do not need to print out your certificate unless you want to.
If you are worried about the course or struggling to complete it, you can contact our team to discuss how we can support you.
If you are an existing tenant who is interested in tenancy training, please let us know and we can discuss your options.
We have set up eLearning packages online to provide useful information for our tenants and applicants on the housing register.
These include:
- the pre-tenancy training DIY
- loan shark awareness
- be the change
- every penny counts
Green light to housing programme
The Tenant Academy Team also work with applicants who have been referred to our “Green light to Housing” programme. We support applicants on the Housing Register to pass their affordability, whether increasing their income by providing training and job opportunities or by sign posting them to agencies to help with increasing benefits or reducing debts.
To find out more, see the Green light to housing programme webpage.
Free National Training Academy online training
The Tenant Academy team also offer courses online through the National Training Academy. You will receive a certificate for each course you complete.
There are a variety of courses, some of these include:
- food hygiene
- adult and children safeguarding
- health and safety
- time management and communication
Tenant Participation Advisory Service (TPAS)
If you are a tenant of Swindon Borough Council, you can sign up to TPAS and keep up to date with what is happening across Social Housing. You will have access to lots of useful information including webinars, training and discussion papers.
For more information about the Tenant Academy, visit our Swindon Housing Facebook page or contact us directly at tenantacademy@swindon.gov.uk
If you would like to see what the Tenant Academy have achieved for tenants and applicants on the housing register, see the annual report below: