A new website aims to help industries across the real estate and construction sectors attract new workers. CareersBuildingCommunities.org is a collaboration between more than two dozen industry associations to showcase potential career paths beyond what most people think of when real estate comes to mind.
The website acts as an educational hub connecting potential workers to various parts of the industry. In addition to real estate and property management, there are also resources to attract young workers interested in landscape architecture, construction, interior design and finance.
Users can take a quiz to help direct their search to parts of the industry that fit their education and interests. The website hosts articles and other resources provided by the associations to educate job seekers about those professions.
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The American Society of Landscape Architects is one of the associations involved in the project.
“We’re delighted to join this collaboration,” Nancy Somerville, executive vice president and CEO of ASLA, said in a statement. “ASLA is committed to helping more people, especially students, discover landscape architecture as a fulfilling, rewarding career that truly benefits communities through great design. We hope that ‘Careers Building Communities’ will help steer more people to become landscape architects.”
Michael Bellaman, president and CEO of Associated Builders and Contractors Inc., referred to the labor shortage plaguing industries across the built environment.
“ABC is excited to join forces with key stakeholders in the construction, development and management of real estate assets to promote careers in these dynamic industries,” he said in a statement. “Our industry is facing a significant shortage of skilled construction professionals, and we applaud these efforts to raise awareness of the endless opportunities in construction and the broader real estate market. The Careers Building Communities platform provides a way to effectively communicate with those seeking a rewarding career in the built environment.”
Many people come to real estate and related fields by accident, according to Andrea Rutledge, president and CEO of the Construction Management Association of America.
“Many of us working in real estate or construction-related positions learned from the ground up, without any knowledge of the full range of opportunities that exist,” Rutledge said in a statement. “Collaborating with 28 other organizations on ‘Careers Building Communities’ makes our combined goal of improving our workforce possible.”
The full list of partners on the site includes:
- American Institute of Architects
- American Resort Development Association
- American Society of Interior Designers
- American Society of Landscape Architects
- The Appraisal Institute
- Associated Builders & Contractors, Inc.
- Associated General Contractors
- Association of Foreign Investors in Real Estate
- BOMI International: Independent Institute for Property and Facility Management Education
- Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International
- CCIM Institute
- Construction Management Association of America
- Construction Specifications Institute
- CoreNet Global
- Counselors of Real Estate
- CREW Network
- Institute of Real Estate Management
- International Council of Shopping Centers
- International Facility Management Association
- International Interior Design Association
- Mortgage Bankers Association
- NAIOP: Commercial Real Estate Development Association
- National Apartment Association
- National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts
- National Multifamily Housing Council
- The Real Estate Roundtable
- REALTORS Land Institute
- Society of Industrial and Office Realtors
- Urban Land Institute Worldwide
