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Laura Outhart, Graduate Trainee, 2007 Programme Intake
MA Anthropology of Development, University of Sussex
Laura has a degree in Politics and an MA in Anthropology of Development and joined the Graduate Development programme in 2007. “After my masters I was extremely keen to embark on a career that would give me the chance to make a positive impact on people’s lives. After a lot of research I decided on regeneration but I was unsure where to begin. A year on the Graduate Training Programme has proven to be a great starting point.
“My first year on the programme has been an extremely stimulating and positive experience. To date I’ve had the chance to work on a vast range of projects that have taken me from the estates of Tower Hamlets to villages in rural Cumbria. These have included tasks as diverse as deciphering ancient covenants to organising an electronic voting system for a community consultation.
“This practical experience has also been supported by a full programme of professional and technical development training which has given me a comprehensive introduction to the key regeneration themes and professional competencies I will need to develop my career further.
“One of the highlights of the scheme so far has been a 3-month placement at the Housing Corporation where I worked as part of their investment team in the North West. The team were extremely supportive and quickly involved me in all aspects of their work. This included everything from assessing housing grant bids from Registered Social Landlords for the development of new homes, to meeting officers at Carlisle City Council to discuss their local housing needs and priorities.
“During this time I was also given responsibility for co-ordinating a programme of quality assurance visits to assess a range of schemes they had financially supported over the last year. This involved liaising with 20 different Housing Association partners and visiting a wide variety of affordable housing schemes across the region.
“After a year on the scheme I feel extremely privileged to have had the opportunity to work with so many highly experienced, talented and inspiring people and would highly recommend it to anyone who wants to start a fast paced career in this exciting and innovative industry.“
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