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Candidate Guide Fall 2015

CIH Canada Western Founders Program:

Learn with us. Improve with us. Influence with us | www.cih.org/canada | [email protected] | @CIHCanada 2

Background on the CIH Canada Founders Program In the first two years of its operation, CIH Canada ran a special Founders Program for distinguished housing professionals as a means of recognizing those who have made a substantial contribution to the sector and the experience they have gained as a result of their work.

With the recent expansion of CIH Canada into Western Canada through partnerships with BC Non-Profit Housing Association, Alberta Public Housing Administrators’ Association and Manitoba Housing, CIH Canada is proud to be offering the Western Founders Program in Fall 2015.

Individuals who successfully complete the Founders Program gain Chartered membership and are entitled to use the designatory letters CIHCM. This internationally recognised level of membership is the gold standard for any housing professional.


How Program Participants Are Selected Founders program participants are selected by a CIH committee based on their professional resume, their program application and their comparative standing in relation to the pool of applicants for the intake period.

In order to apply to the program, applicants must be current members in good standing with CIH Canada. In addition, applicants must be employed in a position of distinction by a housing organization and demonstrate that they have made a significant contribution to the housing profession through their application package to CIH Canada.

Your application package comprises of two components: a professional resume and application form, which provide background information to the CIH committee about your career history and qualifications (See Appendix A).

Is the Founders Program right for me?

Because spots in the program are limited, competition is extremely fierce. Typically, successful applicants will have demonstrated their contribution to the sector in one or more of the following manners.

Your application should highlight your experience with any or all of the following:

Leading large-scale change within a (housing-related) organization

A current, extensive record of publications

Public service at the national, provincial or local government level or through membership in a think-tank

Driving fundamental policy changes

Providing expert advice to national policy-making forums, consultations

“The three instructors were very inspirational. I came away with lots of ideas that will benefit my organization. An excellent investment for anyone who is passionate about the housing industry!” Raymond Swonek Chief Executive Officer, GEF Seniors Housing


Program Goals, Structure and Content Successful graduates of the Founders program are able to demonstrate through their course of study that they have the knowledge, skills and understanding that Chartered membership in CIH signifies. Through active participation in the training and development program, the completion of a report, and a professional interview, they demonstrate that they have:

Gained critical insight into the evidence-base surrounding their own area of professional practice

Expertise in one or more housing or related specialization

Related professional requirements to their local context, including the knowledge and skills to become an effective housing professional

An understanding of professional ethics and a commitment to professionalism within their area of housing

Described and analyzed the organization in which their working practice is based

Effective research, analytical and evaluation skills to support effective decision making

Critically reflected upon their own professional development

Critical awareness of good practice

Costs of Attending the CIH Canada Western Founders Program:

• All three modules and professional interview ($3,800 plus tax)

• CIH Canada professional membership

“A great learning experience. To challenge one’s

thinking and to be learning among your peers is a powerful opportunity!” Craig Marchinko, CIHCM Assistant Deputy Minister, Manitoba Department of Housing & Community Development


Training and development program Candidates in the Founders program will attend an intensive training and development program. Attendance is mandatory. These sessions are divided into three modules consisting of two training days each:

Module Dates Location Topic

1 October 18-19, 2015 Banff Transformational Change

2 December 7-8, 2015 Vancouver Learning Today, Leading Tomorrow

3 January 25-26, 2016 Vancouver Defining a New Future

CIH recognizes that candidates may sometimes be unable to attend the entire training program. Because of this, CIH has devised alternative induction exercises to meet the program requirements. You must let staff at CIH Canada know as soon as possible if you are unable to attend any of the training days.

Submission of a Report

All candidates in the Founders program are required to submit a report on transformational change management in the housing sector and the role of CIH Canada as the professional body in supporting effective change.

You will submit a 2,000 to 2,500 word report that focuses on how the housing industry is changing and the transformational processes that are needed to enable housing organizations to address current and future operating environments. You should address the following points:

How the housing industry is changing. For the

purposes of this report you should consider two areas of change. You could consider the changing social, economic, political and legal context; but you should also show how this affects the business and customer context for your organization.

“The Founders Program

engaged internationally

renowned housing leaders

who facilitated excellent

peer-based learning and

discussion.”

Stephen Giustizia Manager, Housing Services City of London


What changes in the areas of governance, organizational structure, financial models and finance are needed to enable your organization to respond effectively to change?

What knowledge, skills and capacity will your organization require in terms of staff to respond effectively to change?

How can your organization develop its business model and service offerings to respond effectively to change?

What will be the role of CIH Canada in supporting transformational change in the housing sector? You should consider and identify specific opportunities for CIH Canada to contribute to transformational change in the housing industry.

Professional Interview

The final stage of the Founders program is a Professional Interview. The Professional Interview will provide you with the opportunity to demonstrate that you:

Routinely operate at a strategic and policy-making level

Are recognized as a leader within the housing sector in Canada

Have a significant breadth of understanding of key housing policy and practice issues

Have a depth of understanding in several areas

Understand the importance of professional standards, codes of conduct, etc., and can articulate your own professional standards as well as those of your organization

Understand the role and work of CIH Canada and can offer well-balanced, critical reflection on CIH activities and policies

Have identified ways in which you intend to contribute to CIH Canada

Structure of the Professional Interview

The interview panel will be made up of two or three panel members. The panel members will have specific questions to ask you. They will, however, make every attempt to broaden the conversation into a two-way discussion. The panel will already be aware of some of your achievements and will

“Great program -- glad to be involved!” Bryan Lutes, CIHCM President, Wood Buffalo Housing & Development Corporation


want to explore them in greater depth. The Professional Interview will last approximately 1 hour and will focus on four elements:

Presentation and discussion based on your written

report

• 1.1 Show critical understanding of factors affecting change in the housing industry, the principles underpinning change management; and relate this to the experience of introducing change in a housing organization.

• 1.2 Show evidence of your involvement in the change management process and critically reflect on both the process and the outcomes.

Your seniority in

the housing industry

• 2.1 You routinely operate at a strategic and policy making level

• 2.2 You are recognized as a leader within the housing industry

Your

understanding of housing policy and

practice

• 3.1 You have a significant breadth of understanding of key housing policy and practice

• 3.2 You have a depth of understanding in several areas of housing policy and practice

Your

understanding of professional

standards and the role of CIH

Canada

• 4.1 You understand the importance of professional standards and codes of conduct and you can articulate your own professional standards and those of your organization

• 4.2 You understand the role and work of CIH and CIH Canada and can offer well-balanced critical reflection on CIH activities and policies

• 4.3 You have identified ways in which you intend to contribute to CIH Canada.

Please note: The Interview Panel will base their judgement on the substance and content of your report and presentation. While it is expected that the presentation skills will be of adequate quality, the assessment of the panel will focus on the substance and content of the presentation only.


After the Western Founders Program Successful candidates:

Upon successful completion of the interview Founders will be invited to become a Chartered Member of the CIH and will be eligible to use the designatory letters CIHCM. Chartered members are required to complete 20 hours of Continuous Professional Development (CPD) each year in order to maintain their designation. Of these 20 hours, at least 50% should be from interagency activities/training. For further information about interagency activities refer to the Guide to CPD.

CPD is a valuable professional service that CIH offers to members. It can help you to identify your individual professional development needs; in doing so it can enable you to keep pace with the changes in your working environment at a time of rapid change in the housing world. All CIH Members are provided with an online CPD account in your MyCIH, and are encouraged to use this beneficial service to support your individual professional development needs.

In addition, as Founders are considered an elite group who demonstrate leadership in the sector, it is expected that Founders will act as ambassadors, advocating CIH Canada to their peers and colleagues.

Unsuccessful candidates:

Candidates who are unsuccessful at the professional Interview stage of the Founders program will be provided with comprehensive feedback from the Interview Panel. They will not be permitted to attend a second interview until their circumstances have changed and can provide evidence that they are likely to pass.

Appendix A: CIH Canada Western Founders Program Submission

Candidate Profile Name:

Title:

Organization:

Address:

Phone:

Email:

We are delighted that you are interested in taking part in the CIH Canada Founders program. To enable us to confirm your eligibility and prepare adequately for your interview for CIH Chartered Membership we require some information about you. Your professional resume will be the key document which provides background information about your career history and qualifications but, often these are designed to a personal preference and may not focus on all the information we require. Below are a number of text boxes which we are asking you to complete in respect to specific areas of your professional history. The boxes will expand to accommodate your comments; we would expect your submission to cover no more than 4 pages.

2

1. Your experience. In this section we would like you to highlight the depth of

your experience by describing the strategic nature of the roles you have held in various organizations throughout your career.

2. Your leadership history. Please provide us with a short commentary on how you have applied your leadership skills over the last 10 years of your work in housing or related employment. This should include examples of large-scale changes you have led and/or influenced (within an organization, locally, provincially, etc.).

3. Your contribution to the profession. Here we would like to know how you

have contributed to the development of the housing profession, raising professional standards and/or research to help inform the sector. This may include voluntary activities you have undertaken outside of your employment.

3

4. Your continuing professional development plan. A key feature for any professional is to have a plan for continuous development and lifelong learning. This may be a detailed plan with milestones and targets or a much broader indication of direction of travel. Please tell us as much as you can about your development plan.

5. Your role in the ambitions and aspirations for CIH Canada. We know that you are committed to the success of developing CIH Canada. It would be extremely useful for us to know how you might contribute in this success and what you can bring to CIH Canada to help it on its journey.

Thank you for providing this information. Please return your submission along with your resume to Joanna Gage at [email protected] or by post at: CIH Canada 30 Duncan Street, Suite 500 Toronto, ON M5V 2C3 For the Fall 2015 Western Founders Program your submission needs to reach us no later than May 1, 2015.

CIH Canada

30 Duncan Street, Ste. 500 Toronto, Ontario

M5V 2C3 1.866.268.4451 x.242

[email protected] www.cih.org/canada

@CIHCanada

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