Career Ready is a national social mobility charity which boosts the social inclusion and mobility of young people through a programme of mentoring, paired with a paid four-week workplace internship.

Last year CBRE announced it had committed to working with Career Ready for three years across the UK with the aim of reaching over 500 young people through paid internships and mentoring, masterclasses and office visits.

This summer, the firm welcomed seven S5 high school students for four-week paid internships across the Glasgow and Edinburgh offices. As part of the placements, the students received an overview of the real estate industry, specialist training in ESG-related matters and spent time meeting staff, visiting offices and viewing client properties. They also had training sessions with CBRE staff on CV workshops, building their personal brand, presentation skills and various career conversations with people from all of CBRE’s different service lines.

The programme has been led in Scotland by Kathryn Bennett, head of operational real estate in Scotland, and James Brandon who runs the UK Career Ready Programme. Mentors from the firm in Scotland included Gary Docherty, Tracy Redmond, Kate Anderson, Emily Hughes, Dougie Steele, Stuart Wilson, Eilidh MacVicar and Caroline Crichton.

Commenting, Kathryn Bennett said: “Every student on our programme was provided with a paid, four-week internship and a mentor to ensure that they have the additional support and knowledge needed to make informed decisions about their future education and career. The hope is that each young person progresses to a positive post-school destination and is able to prosper in the world of work. The students on the programme were selected because they have potential, yet do not necessarily have access to the networks and opportunities to unlock it. We are delighted to help them with that process. Like the charity, we believe that every young person deserves the opportunity for a rewarding future.

“During their placements, the selected students got to know the firm, spent time understanding ESG and met plenty of our people and buildings. They were provided with an overview of the industry and what a career in real estate could look like. It has already proved to be a very successful partnership and a couple of the students are now considering undertaking an apprenticeship with us.”