Key Highlights
- Industry-ready property graduates in Australia should possess a broad understanding of the property industry and an appropriate level of discipline knowledge. They also require technical expertise, analytical competencies and interpersonal skills that will enable them to integrate effectively into the workplace.
- Recent property graduates of undergraduate tertiary courses are largely meeting the expectations of the property industry. They have technical expertise and analytical competencies which largely exceed expectations of industry and discipline specific knowledge which meets industry requirements.
- However, recent graduates are not demonstrating, at the expected level, interpersonal skills such as professionalism, networking, working as part of a team or written/oral communication skills.
- A key role of Australian tertiary institutions is to connect students with industry through guest lectures, mentorship programs, internships and networking events to provide opportunities to enhance interpersonal skills through practical experience.
- The development of industry-ready graduates is a shared responsibility between tertiary educators, industry and industry bodies.
In Australia, the higher education sector consists of universities and vocational education and training. Higher education has historically been focused on the pursuit or development of knowledge in an environment that encourages students to think logically and critically rather than the training of practical skills (Gill, 2018). Over the last two decades, however, the development of employability skills among graduates has gained more traction. While graduate attributes are not a new concept, they have been more firmly embedded into higher education in Australia since the early 2000s (Mahon, 2022). The trend is global with higher education providers increasingly focusing on a curriculum that gives students practical skills as well as the subject specific knowledge required to enter the employment market (Oraison et al., 2019).
Other APREF Research
- Towards understanding the dynamics of the Regional Property markets of Australia
- Black Swan Events, Quantitative Easing, and the Australian Housing Market
- Big Visual Data Analysis using Artificial Intelligence for Mass Valuation of Residential Properties in Australia
- Urban densification through private land assembling in inner and middle suburbs for decentralised BTR development
- Valuation @ Risk
- Towards more inclusive equality and diversity for the Australian valuation industry
- Ethnic Diversity and Housing Market Resilience after Natural Disasters in Australia
- Future Workforce for the Property Industry: Are We Ready for the Change?
- Building trust: Exploring AI and ethical practices in the property profession
This research was funded by the Australian Property Research and Education Fund (APREF). Learn more about APREF here.
