New property foundation class launched in Bristol

School pupils in Bristol have been given an insight into working in the property sector thanks to a new private-public sector collaboration.

Year 11 students at Orchard School participated in the inaugural property foundation class launched by the Bristol Property Inclusion Charter, UWE Bristol and Bristol WORKS.

The class, which involved volunteer mentors and experts connected with the property sector, saw pupils divided into groups and given the task of transforming an empty unit in the Galleries Shopping Centre with a £1 million budget.

Read more: JLL Bristol invites students to gain insight into world of property

Ideas had to be sustainable and 20 per cent of the space had to be used for community purposes.

The Bristol Property Inclusion Charter was launched in 2019 to boost diversity and inclusion in the city’s property sector and now has 100 signatories. It was founded by Karl Brown (pictured), commercial property partner in the Bristol office of national law firm Clarke Willmott LLP.

“In order to achieve the objectives of the Charter I am determined to boost engagement between the property sector and local young people so that they can see the fantastic range of opportunities in the sector and local employers can engage with potential future recruits from diverse backgrounds,” said Karl.

“I am thrilled to have been able to launch the new property foundation class and was really impressed with the fantastic ideas and thoughts of the students from Orchard School.”

Ytzen van der Werf, programme leader for real estate finance and investment at UWE Bristol, added: “UWE Bristol is committed to be a diverse and inclusive learning environment that strives to deliver future property professionals.

It was great to see so many keen and inspiring students work on this real-life project. The panellists were baffled by the quality of the ideas and presentations put in front of us after just three hours’ work.”

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Bristol WORKS is a service within Bristol City Council which facilitates opportunities for young people in Bristol to engage with local employers through careers talks, real work challenges, work experience opportunities and initiatives such as the property foundation class.

Hayley Galpin, manager for Bristol WORKS, said: “It has been fantastic to collaborate with UWE and Bristol Property Inclusion Charter to showcase the variety of opportunities and pathways in the sector and the passion to bring more diversity within it.

“The students benefited hugely from hearing the stories and experiences of the mentors and gaining a snapshot into the industry which I am sure will spark their interest further.”