Taught By:
Zografia Bika
Strategy and Entrepreneurship
University of East Anglia
Read profile here.
Motivation to Teach Social Action:
Course Description:
The INCREASE VS programme (2018-2023) found that housing associations can go beyond their primary role of providing affordable housing and act as crucial stakeholders in their local communities, providing social facilities, labour market intermediation, and micro-enterprise training. The INCREASE VS partnership of nine housing associations and training providers which helped over 4,500 long-term unemployed people as they either started their own business or returned to work, was driven in large part by the individualised nature of the interventions that were designed to reflect the unique needs of each community. I led the academic evaluation of the programme, which generated new insights into the local socio-economic and cultural dynamics that underpin the lives of those furthest away from the labour market and the role of housing associations in helping to find 'invisible workers' who are out of sight of traditional recruitment processes and face complex barriers to work.
This course takes this initiative further and helps deliver 'visibility training' (and an associated 'Visibility Manual') to different stakeholders (1. workers; 2. practitioners; and 3.employers) in order to address the biggest problem for the so-called invisible people which is being locked out of the job market given that many employers don’t see them as suitable candidates. Such visibility training is especially relevant in a world that constantly talks about the need for people to empower themselves with the knowledge and tools needed to enhance their visibility, connect with their target audience, and ultimately grow their client base, albeit without taking a critical stance on what the outcomes of such visibility work are (e.g., when using digital platforms to establish a strong online presence).
