In 2020, we identified the need to widen the talent pipeline for the real estate and real assets industry and recognized that the industry needed to work harder and smarter to introduce opportunities to underrepresented groups. Starting in London, we are now building a national network of partners and members, bringing them together through events and work experience.

Our mission is to offer hope and opportunity through careers in real estate and real assets to students across the UK. We aim to make the real estate and real assets industry better by making it more diverse and scaling our model of connecting members and partners to help tens of thousands of students across the UK each year.

In 2023/24, we organised and delivered over 70 events, including workshops, site visits, and work experience opportunities. We also run a National Essay Competition to encourage students from across the UK to produce a short piece of writing related to real estate and real assets. Each year, we publish these student submissions in print and online, distributing them to 3,000 schools, leading employers, universities, and the media. Additionally, we hold a Launch Event each year where students, their parents, and teachers come together with our members. (See essay competition page for more details).

We are self-sufficient and do not seek any grants or contributions from the public or charitable sectors. Our members pay an annual fee of £3,500, which covers our running costs. This fee allows all member colleagues to get involved in our events, and younger colleagues can join our Youth Network.

For the academic year 2024/25, our team will consist of seven members, including those in the membership team, partnership team, communications, events, and HR and finance. We also have a fantastic Advisory Board of senior and influential figures within the industry. (See Board for more details.)

Each year, we collect statistics from our events and measure the impact we have had on the students who attended. We conduct surveys of students, teachers, and community leaders to ensure our events are meaningful for both students and members. We publish an annual report summarising the social impact we have had. (See 2023/24 report for more details).

We have over 70 leading real estate and real assets investors, owners, advisers, and operators as our members. The Academy puts together events and experiences to help these member firms engage with, assist, and offer experience to young people across the UK. (See members page for more details.)

Members can get involved as much or as little as they like. We have an ambitious programme of events across the academic year in which members can participate. We understand that many members already have their own social impact initiatives, but by being part of The Academy, a member is making a further, significant, wider, national social impact at a low cost.

Each month, we send an “Events Bulletin” listing opportunities to engage with our student partners. Each member has an Academy team member assigned to look after their needs and ensure they get the most out of their membership. Junior colleagues can also join our Youth Network, which is made up of colleagues at member firms under 35 and/or in the business for less than 10 years, who meet regularly to lead on social mobility and diversity initiatives.

The Academy of Real Assets is a social enterprise that seeks to increase access, diversity, and intellectual curiosity amongst UK schools and students by connecting them to some of the country’s leading real estate and real assets firms through events and work experience opportunities.

The Academy of Real Assets has over 60 leading real estate and real assets organisations as its members who lend their expertise to young people in the UK through our ambitious programme of events.

We partner with schools, youth organisations and philanthropic groups to deliver a programme of workshops, site visits and work experience opportunities for young people, aimed at increasing socioeconomic diversity in real estate and real assets.

Membership benefits include the ability to make a real and measurable social impact, working with a dedicated Membership Manager to ensure you get the most from your membership, creating bespoke events that work for your business, and receiving regular bulletins and a Live Calendar of Events.

Members also have the opportunity to be part of the Academy Annual Student Book and Launch Event. Member activity in Academy events is publicised via social media and media channels.

We want membership of The Academy to provide commercial benefits to members while also helping them generate significant social impact. Through our member-only events during the year, we help our members meet others within the industry, exchange ideas, and make connections. In 2023/24, these events included:

• March 2024: Q&A in-person event with Beth Rigby of Sky News ahead of the UK General Election.
• October 2024: Inaugural Academy Lecture and drinks at the Wellcome Trust.
• November 2024: Birmingham Reception for Midlands firms with the West Midlands Mayor and other leaders.

In 2024/25, there will be a further series of member-only events.

If you are interested in joining, please contact us, and we will get back to you immediately to arrange a call.

We partner with schools, youth organisations, sports clubs, and Premier League football clubs to deliver a programme of workshops, site visits, and work experience opportunities for young people, aimed at increasing socioeconomic diversity in real estate and real assets. (See partners page for more details.)

We partner with a diverse range of organisations, including state schools, youth clubs, and Premier League football clubs, with a focus on promoting opportunities to young people who wouldn’t typically have access to them.

Partnering with The Academy of Real Assets is entirely free.

To get involved, simply reach out to our Partners Manager. They will check if we have previously worked with your organisation and identify the key point of contact. If this is your first interaction with us, just provide some dates, and we’ll match you with an appropriate event through our network of members.

Organising an event is straightforward. You can book events well in advance, and we recommend giving multiple date options to increase availability with our members. If you’d like to observe an event before hosting, we can arrange this, subject to permissions from stakeholders. We can also tailor events to meet specific curriculum needs or demographic targets, such as SEN (Special Educational Needs) students. There is no limit to the number of events you can host or attend throughout the academic year.

If you need to cancel, please provide as much notice as possible. We may be able to offer the slot to another partner or reschedule if you provide alternative dates.

Currently, we work predominantly with schools across London and the South-East, but we are expanding into the Midlands in autumn 2024.

We facilitate work experience requests by connecting partners with our members and provide ongoing support for mentoring and internships. For apprenticeships, we highlight opportunities available through our members in our termly Partners Bulletin, including application guidance.