Engaging the next generation

As IREM continues to build opportunities to engage the next generation and impact their success in the real estate management profession, who better to be ambassadors than our current members.

The Student & Academic Advisory Board provides guidance for strategies designed to grow relationships with academic institutions and their administration and students. The board comprises members who are passionate, skilled, and experienced, providing an array of knowledge to help maintain momentum in growing our student and academic member segments.

The board works in line with IREM’s strategic plan to help increase awareness of the many career options that exist in the field of real estate management. Often, members share their stories of how they fell into the profession by chance, and we are working hard to make this a profession by choice. There are many career paths and opportunities available in real estate management, and through continued outreach to academic partners and students alike, we can make students aware of the opportunities available to them. 

Student membership in IREM provides a bridge to the real estate management profession, showcasing IREM benefits in addition to connecting students with future involvement, career opportunities, and a robust global community of real estate management professionals.

Since 2017, student membership has increased by 200%. Relationships with academic institutions through grassroots outreach has been a major contributor to that growth.

To further showcase IREM’s commitment to workforce development, student membership became free in 2021, making it even more accessible and clearing the way for a great introduction to a future career.

Programs and services that enhance member benefits are key drivers of member retention. The Student & Academic Advisory Board provides strategic insights into the academic world to ensure that IREM programming remains relevant and valuable to this key audience.

This year, the board has helped identify both the 2021 Student of the Year as well as the 2021 Student Scholars. These programs are made possible thanks to a generous grant from the IREM Foundation. These students will attend the 2021 Global Summit in Las Vegas, where they will be recognized in person.

We also strive to support and engage with all students who attend the Global Summit each year by providing them with an on-site mentor at the conference. Every year, members of the board serve as these mentors and provide insights to students while conducting informational interviews to help them prepare for their future careers. We continue to receive fantastic feedback from students who attend the Global Summit, and we hope to create more opportunities for students to experience the annual conference in the future.

The positive impact of having a mentor guide students as they step into the workforce and learn how to best navigate the ins and outs of the professional world is unmatchable. We recognize the importance of mentorship and the role it plays in supporting our next generation of real estate professionals, so we are exploring how IREM can create an environment where mentorship thrives. Students are the future of the real estate management profession, and it is up to us to help them see the vast opportunities and career paths available to them. As the board continues to discuss the goals of a mentorship program, we are developing the framework and the benefits, such as skill development and network expansion. We operate in a profession that thrives on relationships, so mentorships and networking play an influential role.

Since COVID-19 first put the “new” in front of normal, the virtual world has impacted students from not only a learning perspective, but also in how they formulate career insights, conduct job searches, and approach networking. In 2020, IREM developed and delivered three free webinars for students that featured high-profile panelists in the industry who shared their experiences, gave advice, and directly answered questions from webinar attendees. With the high number of attendees and positive feedback from students and our academic partners, we will deliver these same programs again in 2021—this time from our members who are in different areas of the real estate management profession.

These types of events are actionable items that IREM can commit to offering that will benefit students from various academic institutions. Every year, we plan to host a webinar entitled “Careers in Real Estate Management: What Students Need to Know,” and we will also cover additional topics for other webinar offerings. We view these webinars as great opportunities for our members to see for themselves the direct impact of student engagement.

IREM remains committed to supporting and engaging the next generation of real estate management professionals, and we are grateful to our members who continue to work on behalf of IREM in bringing awareness to the career. The Student & Academic Advisory Board remains a valuable student resource and provides guidance through outreach to both students and academic partners, and it is developing tactics for the future that will further engage the next generation.