While REET’s programming has seen success in Edmonton, founder Andrel Wisdom said expanding to Calgary was a no-brainer for the non-profit.
BIPOC youth to Calgary cal
Wisdom has worked in the commercial real estate sector on the valuations side for nearly a decade. He said he feels the dearth of ethnic and cultural diversity in the industry stems from a lack of awareness and access to opportunities among people of all backgrounds.
“Our program aims to bridge that gap by providing BIPOC youth with the knowledge, skills, and networks necessary to pursue a career in commercial real estate and become stakeholders in
their communities,” he said.
During the two-month course, students learn in a setting that combines classroom instruction with building tours and industry exposure. They learn from industry representatives about how to pursue a career in commercial real estate while developing skills related to entrepreneurship, investing, public speaking, networking and collaboration.
While the course has run successfully in Edmonton, Wisdom said expanding to Calgary was a no-brainer for REET, considering the organizations partnering with the non-profit have operations and membership branches in both cities.
Those partners include the Alberta Real Estate Foundation, Ryan, the Altus Group, NAIOP, (the local commercial real estate development association), Building Owners and Management Association (BOMA), the Oxford Properties Gorup and the Appraisal Institute of Canada.
“Calgary seemed like the natural next step for the program because it’s a stone’s throw away,” Wisdom said. “We spent 2023 working on a plan to expand into Calgary and…that’s what led us there in the end.”
“Being able to tap into the broadest amount of people coming from a wide range of backgrounds, skillsets and experiences gives you access to the best talent to make your organization best-suited for the future,” he said. “Canada is a land of immigrants. There’s tons of immigration coming into Canada, so to be as reflective of the population as possible, I think that helps benefit organizations.”
Calgarian high-school students interested in taking part can apply at reetinstitute.ca. The course has a capacity of 25 students and the deadline to apply is Feb. 1.