Northrop sponsors Property Council of Australia’s Victorian Mentoring Program
Northrop has partnered with the Property Council of Australia to sponsor its Victorian Mentoring Program, in a move that both underlines its commitment to the property sector as a whole, as well as a strong belief in the power of mentoring.
The Property Council’s Mentoring Program 2021-22 runs from July to June and Principal James Sutherland, who manages Northrop’s Melbourne operation, says it’s something that will have far reaching benefits for the business, its people and the wider industry.
“From a business perspective we’re extremely committed to the Melbourne market, and sponsoring this program, which is very well established and respected here, is a demonstration of that,” he says.
“But, more importantly, sponsoring this program enables us to give back to the industry. Some of our really senior people have put their hands up to be mentors, which is great,” says James.
“The program also provides the opportunity for some of our people to be mentored by someone from outside of Northrop, which can help them get a fresh perspective on the industry, their career, or challenges they are facing.”
“It’s not just younger people who can be mentees, either. We’ve had interest from some of our senior people, which really speaks volumes about their desire to continually improve and learn.”
Bringing the property sector together
The Property Council of Australia’s mentoring program, which this year is being expanded nationwide, includes people from across the whole property industry - from developers to engineers, alongside project managers, architects, and other property specialists - and mentees and mentors are matched based on their compatibility.
“There’s an application process, and applications are then evaluated by an external consultant to match mentees and mentors from a career development point of view.
“It’s a measure of the quality of the program that, if there’s not a genuinely good fit, they’ll decline you for that year’s program.”
The value of mentoring
Mentoring is something Northrop believes in strongly, and the opportunity to get involved in a formal, industry-wide program has the potential to offer a lot of value to the business.
“A lot of mentoring happens internally, within the four walls, but this program enables people to get an external perspective, which can be incredibly valuable.
“There’s potentially more willingness to be completely honest with someone who’s not involved in the same business, and we believe it’ll bring great value to our people, and the work we do.”
More than 95% of people who’ve taken part in previous years would recommend the program to others, so if you’re involved in the property industry and are interested in learning more about the 2021-22 Mentoring Program, visit https://campaign.propertycouncil.com.au/nationalmentoring
