The Laing+Simmons Scholarship Program helps young people get a foot in the door of the busy, competitive, fast-paced real estate industry.
The Announcement:
After a COVID-enforced two-year hiatus, the Laing+Simmons Scholarship Program is back.
The game-changing initiative that gives school-leavers first-hand experience of the day-to-day operation of a busy real estate business is open for applications.
Enthusiastic youngsters looking for a career in a dynamic industry can contact [email protected] to apply for the three scholarships positions on offer by 31 July.
On the line is the opportunity to complete a week’s work experience with one of the Laing+Simmons offices across New South Wales, as well as enrolment in the Real Estate Certificate of Registration Course (with course fees covered by Laing+Simmons), continued mentorship by one of the network’s leaders, and for the overall winner, the guarantee of a full-time position within the group.
Jacqui Barnes, Head of People & Culture at Laing+Simmons, is co-ordinating the scholarship program and does so with a personal connection: she was herself a Laing+Simmons scholarship winner in the past.
“The Laing+Simmons Scholarship Program is one of the key people-focused initiatives which helps sets the cultural agenda for our business. We want people to succeed and this means offering the proper mentoring and support. In the case of the scholarship program, that means helping people from the very outset, as they prepare for working life after school,” Ms Barnes says.
“The program opens eyes and opens doors to give school-leavers a real taste of what it takes to pursue a real estate career and what it offers. It certainly had a profound impact on me.
“While one of our scholarship winners will become a full-time member of the Laing+Simmons family, it has often been the case in the past that an office which hosts a young person for the work experience period will welcome them into the team.
“It all adds up to a major opportunity for young people to kickstart their career,” she says.
Ms Barnes’s first-hand experience of the scholarship program, combined with the collaborative relationship she has with all principals in the Laing+Simmons network, means she can coordinate the right people with the right offices to ensure a great fit.
As a result, the experience is more fulfilling for the young people who participate and the offices benefit from the extra – and enthusiastic – pair of hands.
“Helping young people get a foot in the door of a busy, competitive, fast-paced industry is extremely rewarding,” Ms Barnes says.
“The Laing+Simmons Scholarship Program is one of the core initiatives that helps us identify and foster talented people into the Laing+Simmons family. And for me personally, it will always be special.”
Source: WISE McBARON
