One of our former students completed a two-week paid internship at CBRE, where they’re now working as an apprentice. Find out more about how their journey with Career Ready helped them gain the support and experience needed to pursue their dream career.
Before the programme, they were unsure about what they wanted to do after sixth form.
“I was considering studying a subject like business management and looked into potential jobs related to this degree, but none of them actually connected with me. Plus, I had no connections or knew how to network with professionals to gain advice. So, my initial plan was to attend university because it was the traditional route. I was going for the sake of it, honestly.”
But after completing the Career Ready programme, the former student found the right career path for them and built the skills they needed to starting building their future.
“After the programme I definitely knew what I wanted to do. I was more informed and had a wider understanding of the options I had. Through the masterclasses and meetings with my mentor I was able to improve my professional confidence and was exposed to real world work experiences which helped me expand my network. I was introduced to real estate, an industry which I’ve always been extremely interested in, but believed I couldn’t enter. But being able to connect with experienced professionals in that field made me realise it was what I wanted to do.”
An insight into real estate
This student had the chance to work at real estate company CBRE for two weeks in the summer – an experience that helped confirm to them what industry they wanted to work in.
“I’d say my internship was a huge turning point in my life as it led me directly to my future career. During my internship I got to take part in team building activities, create presentations and go on asset tours. While I was working there, I saw their degree apprenticeships advertised and I knew it would be right for me. My internship helped me understand what the business were looking for in terms of an apprentice and use that to my advantage during the application process.”
Their mentor supported them throughout the programme, especially when it came to applying for a paid internship at CBRE.
“My mentor also worked in real estate, and we spoke about my options post sixth form, including applying for universities and different real estate apprenticeships. He helped me with a mock interview to ensure I was prepared to apply to CBRE and introduced me to using examples, which were crucial in getting my points across in the interview.”
Next steps to a rewarding future
The support and experiences they had on the Career Ready programme helped our former student not just figure out what industry they wanted to work in, but also secure a place on CBRE’s degree apprenticeship programme.
“Joining Career Ready was one of the best decisions I made during sixth form. I was able to land my dream job, and honestly I don’t how I would’ve done it without Career Ready.”
