Lacey Kempster, who grew up on an estate in Hillside, Merseyside, found school boring, but looking up to her mum gave her the ambition and drive to find her own career path.
Lacey, now 23 years old, left The Prescott School with just one GCSE but lots of determination – school just hadn’t been the right fit for her. After years of working in retail and warehouses, she craved a job where she could make a difference. “I was ready for a change. I knew I wanted to be somewhere in a few years’ time where I was making a difference to people’s lives and where I enjoyed my job.”
“Growing up it was just my mum looking after us three girls. She was working full-time in retail but no matter what, she always had time for us and didn’t need help from anyone.
“But she’d always had ambitions of working in a hospital. She’s worked so hard and it was amazing seeing her start a job as a ward hostess, and more recently as a health care nurse.”
An apprenticeship appealed to Lacey as she could get hands-on work experience while learning and gaining qualifications. Starting to do some research made her reflect on growing up on an estate – she realised housing was something she’d always been interested in.
As she dug further, she couldn’t believe how many different career paths the sector offered. “As I looked into apprenticeships in housing, I realised how much potential there would be to move up and how far you could go with it – there are so many different roles.
“I didn’t know anyone working in housing, but I’ve always thought big and been ambitious.”
Lacey started her apprenticeship with ForHousing in 2020 and passed her final assessments for her Level 2 Property Management certificate in August 2022, and has been working at ForHousing since.
Despite a few first-day nerves, she was determined to not let anxiety get the better of her. “That’s the good thing about apprenticeships, you’re there to learn – no one expects you to be able to do everything right from the start.
“You get given a mentor and mine, Andy, has been great – he understood I’d be nervous but never treated me differently. He’s such a laugh! He’s my best friend here. That’s one of my favourite things about it, the people are so helpful!”
“I love coming to work and having a routine. The health and fire safety aspects have really interested me, working under women like Sue Dunphy and Natalie Lunt in the Building Safety Team has been really inspiring. You really feel like you’re making a difference in tenants’ lives by doing regular maintenance checks to keep people safe and give them a sense of security.
“I love interacting with tenants, and I relate to what they’re going through – I grew up on an estate just across from Stockbridge Village. I wish something like this team had existed when I was younger, so it feels great to be helping and building that relationship with tenants.”
Lacey did the coursework side of the apprenticeship through the Sysco Business Skills Academy in Liverpool. “I really enjoyed the course, it felt really different to school. You have a one-on-one tutor which was amazing.”
“I would 100 per cent recommend an apprenticeship – it’s a great opportunity to get qualifications and work experience. It’s so much more fun and it’s really hands-on, plus there’s all the extra training from ForHousing. I’ve done courses in fire safety, fire doors and safeguarding, and I’ve even got my English and maths qualifications now! I didn’t think I’d ever get them, but the apprenticeship has helped me to get there. I can’t thank all my colleagues enough!”
Lacey now hopes she can work her way to the top in a housing association. “It would be a dream to be a CEO or a director at a housing association – they do so much to help people who don’t have a lot. I know how hard it is and I want to be able to make a difference.”
