CAREERS IN THE housing sector need to be put on the same pedestal as architects, planners and engineers to provide a stable workforce as part of efforts to resolve Ireland’s housing crisis.

That is according to a new report examining jobs in the sector by non-profit Chartered Institute of Housing Ireland (CIH Ireland).

In its first report examining professional standards across the sectors, CIH Ireland said it has found gaps in training and sector-wide recognition for people working in housing.

Its solution to this is to design a new style of job that takes in a broad scope of housing issues, including policy, landlord-tenant relations and land use.

Some of these may feature in related college studies for the likes of planning or architecture, but CIH Ireland wants to see this go further with a specific education choice for a ‘housing professional’.

The non-profit is made up of housing experts, including some drawn from the Approved Housing Body (AHB) sector.

CIH states a claim to be an “independent voice for housing and the home of professional standards” in the industry. It has a global membership of public and private sector housing workers from across 20 countries, but has more recently been establishing itself in Ireland.

Its report identifies key barriers preventing housing from being widely recognised as a career of choice, including sector perception challenges, recruitment pressures, and limited professional pathways.

More than half of respondents said they have found that there is no clear or shared definition of professionalism across the sector, according to the report.

Three quarters of respondents backed introducing mandatory housing qualifications for senior professionals.

CIH Ireland said that the report recognised that a ‘national housing workforce’ is driven by a “commitment to tenant wellbeing and delivering high-quality services” on their behalf.

The report was based on a survey, commissioned by CIH Ireland, which gathered 65 responses from housing professionals working across local authorities, approved housing bodies, government agencies, and the private sector.

Chairperson of CIH Ireland Kathleen Cottier said there is a need for a “more defined and recognised” profession, with clear standards and pathways for anyone working in the sector.

Cottier said Chartered Institute of Housing Ireland (CIH Ireland) is calling for the implementation of five strategic actions to support a housing profession capable of meeting Ireland’s needs.

CIH Ireland recommends actions to support improved national professionalism as new report finds structural gaps in professional standards, training pathways, and sector-wide recognition.

“This report gives us a clear evidence base and a mandate for action,” said Cottier, who previously worked at AHB provider Cluid.

“We are committed to working with partners across the sector and driving forward the changes needed to turn this ambition into reality.”

Responding to the findings, Technological University Dublin senior lecturer Lorcan Sirr said that the research demonstrates that housing can be “neglected as a legitimate career, within the public sector in particular”.

“Whilst showing that there is a desire amongst workers in housing to develop a career in the sector, it reinforces that today’s housing professionals would value, as an extra layer of job security, a qualification leading to a structured professional career path such as already exists for architects, planners and engineers for example,” Sirr said.

The lecturer added that housing is “with us for the long haul”, including as a social and economic issue.

“It is critical that the role of those involved in housing be professionally recognised in the sector, not just to the advantage of those currently working in it, but also, more importantly, to encourage the next generation of housing professionals,” Sirr said.