Career Ready and CBRE

We’ve been working with CBRE since 2019 to boost social mobility for young people from underrepresented backgrounds by giving them hands-on insights into the real estate sector.

Career Ready and CBRE

We’ve been working with CBRE since 2019 to boost social mobility for young people from underrepresented backgrounds by giving them hands-on insights into the real estate sector.

About our partnership

Our UK-wide partnership supports young people in London, Birmingham, Manchester and across Scotland. Together, we’re transforming young lives through access to the world of work.

Our sector is often referred to as ‘hidden’, but Career Ready are helping us to engage more schools and more young people to showcase the great potential in real estate. The young people who have been mentored or have taken part in our work placements have been able to see a whole new career opportunity in the property sector. A huge success of our relationship is not just the number of young people taking part every year, but those who have been mentored, taken part in our placements and then joined our business as full-time apprentices. I’ve been so proud to see those apprentices flourish at CBRE.

James Brandon, Head of D&I at CBRE

volunteering hours

young people supported

paid internships provided

volunteer mentors

volunteering hours

young people supported

paid internships provided

volunteer mentors

What we’ve achieved together

Introducing young diverse talent to the real estate industry

Both CBRE and Career Ready are dedicated to increasing access to industries like real estate – and our partnership has opened up numerous opportunities for young people to start their career in this sector.

“Working with CBRE made me completely change my career path as I enjoyed working there so much. I loved hearing others’ career stories and doing the actual work – it felt real. People were willing to stop what they were doing to help which gave us a great experience. I would definitely come back and work at CBRE.” Ellie Buchanan, 2022-24 student, Springburn Academy, Glasgow, mentor and internship with CBRE

In fact, two Career Ready students who interned at CBRE in summer 2023 secured places on their apprenticeship programme.

“My internship at CBRE was a huge turning point in my life, as it led me directly to my future career. Before Career Ready I didn’t know anything about CBRE, but after completing an internship with them, I knew CBRE was the best place to start my career.” Former Career Ready student who interned at CBRE and is now a current Apprentice Surveyor.

Enabling teams to give back

A huge part of our partnership is the volunteering opportunities that CBRE colleagues get. Whether they mentor a young person, host an intern or run a masterclass, each volunteer makes a profound impact on a young person’s life, while boosting their wellbeing in the process.

I decided to become a mentor with Career Ready to give something back to society. Over the last year I’ve seen my mentee go from unsure on what to specialise in, to being very focused on where her future career will take her. It’s made me see what amazing young people are out there and how important it is to bring them into the business.

Louise Moran, CBRE, 2022 mentor

Empowering the next generation of young talent

Our partnership with CBRE doesn’t just provide work experience, it inspires young people at the beginning of their careers for years to come. Career Ready students, whichever career path they choose, have the chance to build their confidence and transferrable skills in a real-life setting, and leave the programme more informed and motivated to reach their potential.

I used to be unsure of what would be expected of me in the workplace, but during my internship at CBRE all of those concerns were undone. I am now more confidence in myself and my communication skills have improved massively. I now have an idea of what my future will hold.

Kai Buckley, Woodhouse College, interned at CBRE in 2022