Unipol Training started the year in September 1999 with an international event held in Edinburgh, entitled, "Student Housing Ð The Old and The New", which brought together several student housing organisations from almost all of the Scandinavian countries for five days, under their umbrella organisation, NSBO (Nordic Student Housing Group).

This year, Unipol Training has increased the number of one day courses covering housing management. Following requests from delegates who attended the ever popular Effective Housing Management module over the last couple of years, a new follow-on module entitled Further Effective Housing Management was devised in order to expand on the material covered in the Effective. Effective Housing Management has also been revised and ran, for the first time this year, as An Introduction to Effective Housing Management.

In addition, Unipol Training also ran two new training modules which will outline the specialist skills required when Inspecting Houses (March, 2000) or examining the Special Aspects of Managing Small Properties with Student Occupants (February, 2000).

For the convenience our delegates, all one day training modules were concentrated in three venues Ð York, London and Leeds. All the feedback we received regarding this decision was very positive throughout the training year and we will almost certainly do the same again in the 2000/2001 training session.

Throughout the year, Unipol Training also undertook specialist seminars on:

• Refurbishing institutional properties (January, 2000)
• Using the Web for displaying accommodation options (December, 1999 and June, 2000)

In addition to one day training modules, Unipol Training totally revised its two popular Housing Advice Skills modules (the Essential Housing Advice Skills and the Advanced Housing Advice Skills ) which were both run in York for the first time. The training team for these two seminars was widened so that each event concentrated solely on legal rights and remedies. The content was also expanded to include the law as it affects both institutional accommodation as well as the private rented sector. Feedback from both of these events was exceptionally positive and delegates responded well to the new format.

Throughout the year, Unipol Training kept a watchful eye on the Government's proposals to license the private sector which may include educational institutions and it is still our intention to hold specialist briefings once information is made available. We are now hoping that this will be in November 2000 and so any briefing will now fall into the 2000/2001 training session.

Unipol Training maintained its commitment to exploring new partnerships between accommodation suppliers and educational institutions and one day updates will be held which will cover the links between housing associations and universities . A further discussion day is planned which will examine new partnership options for educational institutions : leasing, leaseback, facilities management outsourcing and selling with purchase options.

Collaborative Training

We have continued to build upon our existing training partnerships with NUS, HACAS, ASRA and the Institute of Environmental Health Officers throughout the year.

Specialist Training

Unipol Training is able to offer dedicated and tailor made individual courses for organisations (or consortiums) and is always willing to discuss in-house training options.

Consultancy

Unipol Training is able to offer a consultancy service for those wanting advice and expert analysis of any problem area in the field of student accommodation provision, management or development. Unipol Training has also undertaken arbitration between consumer groups and suppliers.

Conclusion

This year, Unipol Training held some 16 events throughout the UK. Next training session (2000/2001) we intend to hold 20. Agendas will be reproduced on this site as events are finalised throughout the summer. Where planning is taking place, brief details (including the date of the event) are given.