Lea Blumel
Junior Board
Head of People Operations
At Hollis we strive not only to bring together the brightest minds in the real estate industry and create an environment for success, but also to cultivate the next generation of talented individuals and to help them carve out a career in property.
Recruitment is a key pillar for our DEI strategy, and we are committed to tackling the diversity challenge that the industry faces. We believe that we need to be going out of our way to remove the barriers and provide opportunities to people from a wide variety of backgrounds.
Offering best in class early careers options
Part of our ethos is that we are committed to developing the real estate leaders of the future and breaking ground in providing the next generation the platform to flourish and find their unique path in the industry. We are proud of the variety of options we can provide to young people who are aiming to start a career in real estate, and take pride in not only shaping professionals for a successful career at Hollis, but also in benefitting the industry as a whole with the education and experience we deliver.
We provide a variety of opportunities for those at the beginning of their real estate career at all levels. From our level 6 apprenticeship scheme, to our competitive graduate offering, and newly established work placement programme, we have a wide range of possibilities for driven individuals across all backgrounds.
Work placement programme
Our recently established work placement programme provides learning and development opportunities as well as giving work experience to the future of real estate leaders. It offers day to day experience on the job and the realest taste of what is to come in a professional role.
This programme offers anything from a week’s work experience to year out placements for university students, allowing applicants to consider options for the future in the built environment and professional services sector – we let applicants take whichever direction they choose.
Graduate scheme
Our graduate scheme is for ambitious, high-achieving built environment graduates and conversion students, to build our teams of the future. The opportunity offers positions in specialisms such as architectural technology, building surveying, cost management, engineering, measurement surveying, ESG and environmental. With the right balance of training, experience, challenge and reward we develop each applicant for their chosen specialism and give them the best training on offer. They finish the scheme with the best chance to succeed in the industry and experiences that will shape their careers for years to come.
Apprenticeship scheme
Our apprenticeship scheme is the most hands-on of all our routes into the industry and provides an alternative route into the workplace for those who want a mix of on the job experience whilst studying to qualify. We have provided this great option since 2016 and since then, the Hollis apprenticeship has become one of the most renowned and sought-after directions towards becoming fully qualified.
The scheme will see the apprentices receiving an optimal balance of formal training and on-the-job learning, enabling them to gain their qualifications and experience while earning a competitive salary. More than 80% of the scheme will be hands-on experience with guidance and close supervision from senior teams. We are strongly committed to this scheme as it helps us develop talent for our teams in the future and gives us the opportunity to integrate the next generation into the Hollis ethos and way of thinking, right from the start of their careers.
Diversity and inclusion
As a company that brings in large numbers of people through our schemes every year; in 2022 welcoming 40 new graduates, seven new apprentices, five new university placement students and 28 work experience placements, we ensure we embrace and celebrate our differences. We are proud to welcome applicants from all walks of life, across non-dominant and underrepresented groups and take pride in knowing we are doing our bit to improve the diversity and inclusion of people in the real estate industry.
In 2022, we also reached 1750 students through our social mobility and schools outreach programme and are proud to have recently become a globally recognised leader in diversity and inclusion with our status as Clear Assured ‘Bronze Standard’.
We are also very proud to be partnered with career development programmes RICS, Urban Land Institute, Building People, The Academy of Real Assets, Pathways to Property, 10,000 Black Interns, Proactive Young People and many more, to give our applicants the best chance of success in their journey.