Girls in Property Queensland
The launch of the Property Council of Australia’s exciting, diversity initiative- the Queensland Girls in Property Program- took place Thursday 23 August, at West Village (West End, Brisbane).
high school students, from MacGregor State High School and The Gap State High School, were nominated to participate in the Program, which included a day of hands-on activities, exclusive site tours and presentations from leading industry professionals.
The Property Council of Australia’s Queensland Executive Director, Chris Mountford said, “The Girls in Property Program aims to raise awareness amongst high school students of the various career paths that are available within the property industry.”
“It is hoped that initiatives like this will encourage more young women to consider and choose to work in the property industry, helping to create a sustainable pipeline of talent for the growing sector.”
Professionals from all sectors of the property industry volunteered their time and resources to support the Program, including representatives of organisations such as Springfield City Group, Stockland, CBRE, McCullough Robertson Lawyers, and hosts of the day, Sekisui House at their project, West Village.
“Throughout the day, students were involved in various activities within the West Village precinct. 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,” said Andrew Thompson, Project Director of West Village.
“With so many different uses within the one precinct, students were able to see, touch and hear about many different aspects of the property industry along with the myriad career choices the industry presents.”
“We are very excited to be involved in this pilot initiative,” explained Elizabeth Foster, Principal of MacGregor State High School. “Our school highly values the opportunity for our students to hear directly from professionals in the workplace, as this provides them with exposure to many careers they may never have heard of or previously considered.
“Having the industry approach our school with a coordinated program allowed the school to easily incorporate the day into the students’ schedules.”
“The Girls in Property Program provided an incredible opportunity for the students to participate in a work experience environment and learn directly from industry professionals. We are extremely grateful to the Property Council and the industry volunteers who have pulled the program together,” added Anne McLauchlan, Principal of The Gap State High School.
Originally launched in New South Wales in 2017, the hugely successful Girls in Property Program has now been extended to a national program, being rolled out across the country throughout 2018.
Chris Mountford added, “Property is Queensland’s biggest employer creating jobs for over 331,400 people, and we are committed to leading the way for gender diverse workplaces. We hope that this program helps raise awareness of the multitude of careers available and assists more young women to consider a career in property.”
Photos from the day can be found here.