Industry Insight For Aspiring Real Estate Professionals

QUT and real estate leader PRD have agreed on a new partnership that will give students real-world industry experience while studying for a brand new degree.

The agreement will see PRD support the delivery and assessment of USB240, a unit for second year students studying a Bachelor of Property Economics, a new degree program which commenced at QUT this year.

The aspiring real estate professionals, expected to work as everything from agents to market analysts, will be given data from reports complied by PRD and have the chance to interview industry analysts as part of a market analysis project.

The three best teams will be chosen as finalists and present their findings to industry executives at PRD, who will also provide guest lecturers for students.

A PRD panel will select the winning team next Tuesday and each of the four team members will receive $500 and one month of work experience.

QUT Property and Planning senior lecturer Dr Connie Susilawati said the partnership offered students a “wonderful opportunity for real, meaningful industry experience”.

“I hope it will also give the students extra motivation because they will see how what they are studying can be put into practice and show them it is worthwhile,” she said.

“It’s great for the students to do some real-world, industry research and it allows them to go out and talk to people in the industry and get hands on experience.

“We think it will assist students preparing for their future careers and hope this is the start of a mutually beneficial long-term relationship.”

PRD National Research Manager Dr Diaswati Mardiasmo agreed that students participating in the coursework would benefit significantly from the opportunity to contribute as part of an established research team working on projects that have meaningful outcomes.

“The successful students selected for work experience will learn about PRD as a business and gain a greater understanding of the importance of research in supporting our franchise network, increasing our brand awareness and enabling clients to make informed choices about their investment decisions,” she said.

“The winning students won’t be a token presence in the office making coffee and doing basic tasks. We want to give the students the true experience of being a research analyst for one of the nation’s leading franchise networks and as such, will be fully immersing them in our company culture and integrating them in our day-to-day research activities.

“PRD is proud to be in partnership with QUT and hope this initiative will motivate and inspire the next generation of researchers to pursue a rewarding career in the real estate industry.”

Published on May 29, 2014