The OBREMS/OBU Mentoring Scheme Launch - March 2023

The Mentoring Scheme is managed jointly by OBREMS (our alumni association) and the School of the Built Environment and is open to second year students on the BSc Real Estate and the BA Property Development and Planning as well as students on the MSc Real Estate.

This is the 11th year of the OBREMS/OBU Mentoring Scheme which offers students a unique opportunity to be mentored by one of our alumni. The launch took place on 22 March at the HQ of CBRE in London. Thanks to CBRE for hosting and thanks to the presenters and all the students, staff and mentors who came. It was a fantastic evening and it was especially good to see those who took part in the Mentoring Scheme as students return as mentors. This year we matched 74 students with mentors and there was a great turnout at the launch as you can see from the photos. Anyone who is interested in becoming a mentor should contact: rdixon@brookes.ac.uk

And now, a few words of advice offered by the of mentors (Andrew Whitehead, Jo Jackson, James Vivian and John Gilder) who presented at the launch:

• As a student mentee it's up to you to reach out to your mentor. If they don't reply immediately, don't be put off - they have busy jobs, don't be afraid to be persistent - you WILL get a reply!

• As a mentor, our job is to listen and give advice, the benefit of our experience, guidance and reassurance - we've all been through what you're going through and will be going through as you enter the world of work. Make good use of us.

• We can offer all these things, but in the end it's also up to you to make the effort.

• We can help you with networking and through our contacts who probably know someone who can help you with a particular issue.

• It's a unique opportunity and one which doesn't need to stop at the end of a year - many mentees and mentors keep in touch for a long time which can be hugely beneficial for both (offering useful advice for the APC process and beyond). The industry is all about people and building networks - this is a great place to start!

Introduction to the Mentoring Scheme Launch by Elaine Tooke

Finishing the evening off with more networking in the pub...

Student Property Monthly: the interview

Have you read Student Property Monthly? This new monthly publication features a myriad of industry topics, job opportunities, CPD sessions and alumni stories. SPM was founded by a group of second year students on the BSc Real Estate at Oxford Brookes: Andrew Whitehead, Ben Jennings and Charles Major and is produced in association with OBREMS (the Oxford Brookes Real Estate Student Society). I managed to get an interview with one of the founders: Charles Major...

Student Property Monthly: the 2nd issue is available on the OBREMS website

Hi Charles, can I ask why you chose to study Real Estate at university?

Brilliant question. I previously worked for a construction firm in Manchester which specialised in Build to Rent development schemes. I worked closely with Architects, Quantity Surveyors and Chartered Surveyors representing on behalf of the investors. I would spend my lunches talking with the Surveyors asking questions about how they got into property and what was required to become a chartered surveyor. I learnt that they had all been to university and all taken the RICS pathway. 

After 8 months I quit my job and came down to Oxford Brookes for an interview with Rebecca Gee. I was incredibly nervous but motivated and after working 8 months full time in construction and talking to people working in many different roles within property I knew I wanted to become a chartered surveyor and study at Oxford Brookes. 

And why did you decide to study at Oxford Brookes?

Well, I think there are two parts to this question. I think firstly the reputation of the university is well renowned for studying Real Estate offering a really flexible and solid basic understanding of the property world and gives a good insight into the future APC program which as you know is an important fundamental element to becoming RICS chartered. Another key part of the university course was its alumni society. I am currently learning the benefits of the OBREMS alumni society linked closely with the Oxford Brookes Real Estate program. The members are leading industry professionals and have been really supportive in starting the newsletter along with my co-founders Andrew Whitehead and Ben Jennings. 

And secondly Oxford is such a fantastic city. Being from Manchester I found coming to Oxford a real breath of fresh air. It is such a historic city and to even walk through the city I feel like I am away on a weekend away (plus the pubs aren’t bad either)

I see that you are taking part in the Mentoring Scheme - how has that experience been?

The mentoring scheme has been a huge help for both my CV and dissertation. I have received lots of useful material and had some really positive meetings with my mentor who currently works at the La Salle investment department in London. I managed to catch up for lunch with my mentor during my internship with Savills this summer and have gained a really valuable contact for when I myself graduate.

My advice to any 2nd year students would be to sign up and fully utilise this fantastic opportunity to gain contacts and learn how to not only become employable but also learn which area of property best works with your skill sets. I found the mentor scheme really highlighted areas that I found interesting and has helped me explore which areas I want to work in during a graduate scheme for my APC competencies. 

So tell me, what inspired you to set up Student Property Monthly?

Myself and my co-founders had heard about OBREMS and wanted to connect the knowledge and resources of past Brookes Real Estate students with current aspiring surveyors. We wanted to set up a newsletter which delivers first-hand interviews ranging from career pathways advice to industry related topics which are formatted to help students better understand the industry and the many different areas within property. 

We felt nothing was put in place to establish a communication line between OBREMS and the students and we feel this newsletter successfully achieves this and in doing so opens up the possibilities for future interaction over the years to come. 

And finally, how do you see SPM developing in the future?

I couldn’t have wished for a more positive response from the first two issues. Myself and my two Co-founders have worked really hard to get in contact with some brilliant people who have provided us with a wealth of knowledge. Our vision for the newsletter is to firstly take on more contributors to help grow and diversify the content to help continue delivering updated industry activity and news. 

And for the future we would be looking to pass the responsibility and editorial positions to three 2nd year students who will hopefully take on the workload and provide the same ambition and drive that we have. This newsletter is here to stay and we believe it is a long term addition to the Oxford Brookes Real Estate course. 

Thanks for the interview Charles. And if you want to read Student Property Monthly, you can find it on the OBREMS website. 

5 years of the MSc/PGD Real Estate Investment Finance

The original development team of Ye Xu (now the REIF programme leader) and Peter Dent who won
a university award for the development of the REIF programme

It is now 5 years since the MSc/PGD Real Estate Investment Finance (REIF) was launched by Oxford Brookes. The REIF programme was developed following an approach from APREA who wanted to find a UK university to develop their REIF certificate programme. Following formal university approval, Oxford Brookes now offers three routes through the REIF programme. The MSc (which is fully accredited by the RICS) and PG Diploma offer students the opportunity to study Real Estate Investment Finance in more depth and we also continue to offer the REIF programme as a CPD certificate. The features that made the original course so successful have been maintained and enhanced over the last 5 years:

An online, distance-learning programme tailored to students who are also working full-time
The REIF programme has been designed for real estate professionals across all sectors, as well as fund managers and investment bankers who would like to gain a better understanding of real estate as a financial asset in an investment portfolio. The programme is delivered online and offers students a flexible and innovative way to study. We have developed our use of digital media to bring together students from many different backgrounds and locations using our virtual learning platform as well as social media and webinars. Following student feedback, we have also developed our use of video - something that we feel is very important and contributes to the sense of community and belonging to the programme. We have developed a series of podcasts for each module, based around the learning packages and some modules also contain longer video lectures. A series of induction videos has also been developed for students on more general topics such as how to use the online Library.

A practically based programme which makes extensive use of real-life examples
This continues to be the focus of the programme and each module within it. Students appreciate the applicability of the programme to their work and also to their development within the workplace. As one of our students said: 'The course was very practical and applicable every way through my job. It opened my mind to global perspectives as well. All of these came in handy in my day to day property fund management role'.

Networking: opportunities to share knowledge, work practice and experience across the world 
We offer students the opportunity to come together online to share experiences and work practices which enrich the student experience. We hold at least two webinars during each module as well as Q&A sessions in the online chatroom. We also facilitate student networking through a series of (very active) WhatsApp groups as well as a REIF group for students and alumni on LinkedIn. 

Since it started in 2015, the REIF programme has widened its intake and we now have students all over the world. Locations include: Australia, Botswana, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Ireland, Kenya, Latvia, Malaysia, St Lucia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Myanmar, Philippines, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, UAE, Uganda, UK, Uruguay, Vietnam and Zimbabwe. Great news for the REIF programme as students (and staff) from many different backgrounds and locations can come together online to share experiences and work practices.

Input from industry experts 
As well as input to the programme from our external examiners (one of whom is an expert from industry), we hold an annual REIF Seminar Day for students, alumni and staff which is made up of a series of lectures from industry experts and staff on the REIF team. This seminar day is live-streamed and also involves interaction via webinars. And of course there is the input from our students and alumni who are working in industry. 

If you would like to find out more about the REIF programme you can:

• Visit the REIF programme page on the Oxford Brookes website
• Join one of our online information sessions - we normally hold 4 of these a year - the next sessions will be held on 21 May 2020 and 16 July 2020. Email rec-creif@brookes.ac.uk for more information
• Look at our REIF student profiles on this blog

The OBREMS Annual Dinner 2019

On the left of the photo: Ramin Keivani (Head of the School of the Built Environment at Oxford Brookes)
talking to Katherine Grainger (Chancellor of Oxford Brookes)

The 9th OBREMS Dinner was held on 7 November 2019 and Dame Katherine Grainger (Chancellor or Oxford Brookes) was invited to attend as the guest speaker. The Oxford Brookes Real Estate Management Society (OBREMS) is the alumni association of OBU for graduates who work in the real estate industry - more on the OBREMS website.

The evening went something like this...

Location: the Institute of Directors, Pall Mall, London
Guests: more than 200
Drinks: from 6.00 pm
Welcome: from Jason Antill (Chair of OBREMS) and the premiere of the new OBREMS video
Game: Heads or Tails compered by Jason Antill and Harriet Costello (OBREMS Committee)
Dinner: two courses
Guest Speaker: Dame Dr Katherine Grainger - Chancellor of Oxford Brookes
Dessert: STP
Auction and Coffee: with Will Clough from Allsop (Commercial Auction)
Networking: and a few drinks until midnight

The guest speaker, Katherine Grainger, was introduced by Andrew Hynard (President of OBREMS). Katherine Grainger talked about how she was persuaded to try rowing during her first week at university (during the Freshers' Fair) and how she became hooked. She talked about the importance of determination, believing in yourself (and your team) and what it felt like to win. She also answered questions from the audience.

Heads or Tails

Below is a short video from the evening featuring staff and students from the School of the Built Environment. And all the really good photos (taken by freelanceeventsphotographer) are in our album on Facebook.

The PropTech Conference 2017

In the beginning...

On Friday 24 November, the School of the Built Environment joined with the School of Architecture to hold the 2017 PropTech Conference for students and staff.

The first session was chaired by Damian Wild, Editor of the EG and focused on 'how to get a job in property and keep it in this age of automation'. The panel discussing the issues around this topic comprised: Alex Bailes (Head of Product Engineering at CBRE), Eden Dwek (Manager - Tech Growth at KPMG), Savannah de Savary (Founder and CEO of Built-ID) and Brittany Hurley (Senior Director UK at VTS). There was a lively discussion and a number of questions from the audience.

The Panel with Damian Wild and...

...the audience

The next session was led by Dave Ramsey, Director of Data Standards at the RICS and focused on the future for surveyors 

The first session after lunch was led by Ross Raftery from Deloitte LLP and focused on
the impact of PropTech on the real estate industry

The rest of the afternoon focused on the impact of PropTech on other aspects of the built environment including: planning and development, architecture, design and construction. The sessions were led by:

Neil Goldsmith, Senior Director, Lichfields Planning and Development Consultancy
Mark Greatrix and Victoria Ruby from Waldeck Consulting
Scott Sworts from Avatar Design and Oxford Brookes University
Nigel Mehdi, author of the RICS Insight Paper on Big Data

The sessions were followed by a panel debate and Q&A session which was chaired by Professor Joe Tah, Head of the School of the Built Environment.

School of the Built Environment Graduation 2017

Graduation 2017 took place on one of the hottest days of the year, Monday 19 June. The actual ceremony took place in a transformed sports centre and the reception in the beautiful grounds of Headington Hill Hall. Which meant that the students and staff had to walk across Headington Hill Bridge...and I was there to catch them.

School of the Built Environment staff outside the sports centre

Waiting on the bridge...

...the students...

...and staff.

And in the grounds of Headington Hill Hall...

...celebrating

...the paparazzi

Prizes being handed out by (a very hot) Professor Joe Tah (Head of School)

Where's everybody gone? Retreating into the shade as the day got hotter...

Now that you've graduated, don't forget to keep in touch. Join one of our alumni groups on LinkedIn/Facebook...a great way of keeping in touch with your mates and the School of the Built Environment at Oxford Brookes. We use our groups to post job opportunities, source mentors (for the Real Estate Mentoring Scheme), share news and to use your experiences to inform our course development, so make sure you join!

LinkedIn: Real Estate Management
LinkedIn: Construction, QS and Project Management
Facebook: Planning and Urban Design

Finally, for a full set of photos, take a look at the Graduation and Prizes 2017 album on the School of the Built Environment Facebook page.

School of Built Environment Staff run the Oxford Town and Gown 10K

After months of diligent training, six staff from the School of the Built Environment ran the annual Town and Gown 10k race on a sunny Sunday in May.

The intrepid School team were:

Sue Brownill, Gina Dalton, Andressa Minogue, Geoff Morgan, Laura Novo de Azevedo and Pete Smith

The race course goes through the centre of historic Oxford and the streets had been cleared of vehicles in preparation. This provided some amazing views of what a streetscape looks like without cars.

Little seen streetscape - Broad Street without the cars

The Team met up before the race to discuss strategy, water stops and snack tips. Following vigorous warm up exercises, the team walked down to the start and awaited the gun,

5/6th of the team before the race: L to R Pete, Geoff, Gina, Sue and Laura

Andressa - with her medal

There were some interesting fancy dress runners, including this scary clown, who actually won the race many years ago with sub 33 minute time. That didn't happen this year. Several fancy dress carrots, a Wonder Woman and a 'burlesque' dancer were also in the race.

Scary clown walking down to the race start.

All of the SoBE team made it round the 10K course in very decent times and received their medals and goody bags after crossing the line.

After the race - some of the team with medals.

Thanks to Faculty Technology, Design and Environment Marketing team for supplying the SoBE T shirts!