Girls in Property expands horizons
As Girls in Property expands throughout Australia, it opens doors and career opportunities to the next generation of talented young women. What do these young women think about property’s career potential now?
Launched in New South Wales in 2017, Girls in Property is being rolled out around the country, with students from Adelaide and Brisbane gaining insights into property’s career potential last week.
Research conducted by EY has found many women who work in the industry “fall into property by accident”. Girls in Property aims to inspire female students to choose careers in property.
In Adelaide, the Property Council and Wilderness Girls School teamed up to provide 43 year 10 students with an all-day behind-the-scenes tour of some of Adelaide’s most iconic development projects, including the Adelaide Oval, Skycity Casino redevelopment and SAHMRI.
“I didn’t know what the property industry was before today,” says student Simone Misopapas. “Going through different buildings and learning about the range of roles today has sparked an interest in a career in property.”
Classmate Catherine Iosifidis enjoyed the opportunity to learn from professional women in the property industry, which she says “opened career options”. Emma Sleath agrees, adding that it was a “wonderful experience” to “discover how our environment is built”.
Rosina Di Maria, principal of architecture firm Woods Bagot who worked on SAHMRI, was one of the tour leaders.
“Showing the girls how architecture can shape a city and drive innovation was fantastic. They were fascinated by how a building can go from a simple drawing on the page to changing the Adelaide skyline,” Di Maria says.
“I’m excited to see the next generation of female leaders entering the property sector, and I’m sure some of the girls I met will be among them.”
In Queensland, high school students from MacGregor State High School and The Gap State High School enjoyed a day of hands-on activities, exclusive site tours of Sekisui House’s West Village precinct and presentations from industry leaders from Springfield City Group, Stockland, CBRE, McCullough Robertson Lawyers.
“Speaker presentations were held in our sales suite, break times were spent in our open outdoor areas, and after donning hard hats and high vis vests, the students toured the broader precinct, including the heritage-listed former Peters Ice Cream Factory,” says Sekisui House’s project director of West Village, Andrew Thompson.
“With so many different uses within the one precinct, students were able to see, touch and hear many different aspects of the property industry along with the myriad career choices the industry presents.”
Lucia Lu, a student at The Gap State High School, says the program is “fantastic”.
“The introduction to careers in the industrial area and all the activities that we have done have opened another window for me. I have gained a lot of valuable information and I really want to pursue a career in the industrial sector.”
MacGregor State High School’s principal, Elizabeth Foster, praised the program, which she says “takes learning beyond the classroom” and provides “authentic and real-world learning experiences” that “expands horizons and possibilities”.
MacGregor State High School student Zoe Chu loved learning about careers “that I never knew existed before today. I would now consider working in property”.
Girls in Property events will be held in WA on 10 October, Victoria on 30 October and in the ACT on 20 November. Learn more about Girls in Property .