REBNY, NYC Department of Youth and Community Development, Mayor's Fund to Advance New York City Announce Real Estate Internship Program

High School and College Students Hired at Nine REBNY Member firms

NEW YORK–– The Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY) in partnership with the New York City Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) and the Mayor's Fund to Advance New York City announced the launch of a Real Estate Internship Program for local students that are residents of NYC.  The inaugural class of the REBNY/DYCD Real Estate Internship Program included the placement of forty-six young adults in high-quality, paid summer internships at leading New York real estate firms through the City’s Ladders for Leaders program.

In addition to learning new skills and getting hands on experience, interns will receive a workplace best practices orientation and are expected to participate in weekly development events organized by REBNY including a Real Estate industry orientation, guest speaker events and construction tours.

Participating firms include: CBRE, The Durst Organization, Charles H. Greenthal & Company, Industry City (Jamestown Properties), Rose Associates, Rudin Management Company, SL Green, Tishman Speyer, and Webb & Brooker. The NYC Department of Buildings will employ five additional summer interns that are being sponsored by REBNY members.

“The real estate industry offers a variety of meaningful and rewarding career options for the next generation of New Yorkers. The REBNY/DYCD Real Estate Internship program will enable us to attract, recruit, and train a more diverse workforce,” said Real Estate Board of New York Chairman, William C. Rudin. “I am looking forward to working alongside, teaching, and learning from these outstanding young adults. We want to thank the Mayor’s Fund and DYCD for partnering with us on this important effort.”

“The Ladders for Leaders program is connecting more than four dozen young people with internships at some of the City’s top real estate firms and the NYC Department of Buildings—with many more employed at hundreds of other worksites across the five boroughs. We are meeting the next generation of talent where they are by offering paid work experiences that provide immediate value to both youth and employers and put our young people on a path toward sustained employment and long-term career success,” said Department of Youth and Community Development Commissioner Bill Chong.

REBNY President, James Whelan said, “Our commitment to fostering workplace diversity begins with attracting and retaining talent to our industry.  We are proud to support the Ladders for Leaders program and offer practical and meaningful summer intern experiences at New York’s top real estate firms.”

REBNY President Emeritus, John H. Banks said, “Creating opportunities for these exceptional young people and helping them learn about real estate is a smart investment in the future. Developing skills and talent today is a priority for REBNY because it helps to ensure brighter days ahead for our industry.”

In 2018, REBNY formed a Diversity working group that began meeting and setting goals to advance efforts to retain and promote women, people of color, and others from diverse backgrounds in the real estate industry.

Darcy Stacom, Co-Chair of REBNY’s Diversity Working Group said, REBNY’s goal is to introduce opportunities in real estate to a broad group of individuals by ethnicity, gender and sexual identity. Ladders for Leaders secures the interns while REBNY and its constituents provide the exposure and the opportunity for careers in real estate.

Bernard Warren, Co-Chair of REBNY’s Diversity Working Group said, “I’m excited to be part of this initiative and to pay it forward.  This is an excellent opportunity for our youth to get exposure to the real estate industry before choosing a career path.”

“When young New Yorkers are given the support, tools, and experience they need to build meaningful and long-lasting careers, our city is better for it,” said Toya Williford, Executive Director of the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City. “The Mayor’s Fund is grateful to our partners at the Department of Youth and Community Development and REBNY for connecting these savvy, hard-working young people with professional opportunities that allow them to hit the ground running and achieve the futures they envision for themselves.”

“Every summer, Ladders for Leaders connects young New Yorkers of great promise with compelling opportunities in the most dynamic sectors of our economy,” said David Fischer, executive director of the NYC Center for Youth Employment. “This partnership with REBNY provides invaluable experience for our youth, early access to rising talent for the participating employers, and a model that we are excited to replicate in other fields.”

Ladders for Leaders is a competitive professional summer internship program that connects youth with leading corporations, non-profit organizations and government agencies in New York City. The program is an initiative of the NYC Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) and supported by the NYC Center for Youth Employment and the Mayor's Fund to Advance New York City.

Real Estate Internship Events Calendar

Tuesday, July 9 - REAL ESTATE 101

Topics covered: Basics of Real Estate, Commercial Real Estate Investing, Real Estate Finance Basics, Building Management and Operations, Residential Real Estate, Opportunities in Real Estate

Wednesday, July 17 - BUILDING OPERATIONS TOUR

Thursday, July 25 - INDUSTRY LEADER BREAKFAST AT REBNY

Monday, July 29 - TOUR OF INDUSTRY CITY

Thursday, August 1 - TOUR OF HUDSON YARDS

Thursday, August 8 - INTERNSHIP FINALE

 ABOUT THE REAL ESTATE BOARD OF NEW YORK

The Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY) is the City’s leading real estate trade association.  Founded in 1896, REBNY represents commercial, residential, and institutional property owners, builders, managers, investors, brokers, and salespeople; banks, financial service companies, utilities, attorneys, architects, and contractors; corporations, co-partnerships, and individuals professionally interested in New York City real estate.

REBNY conducts research on various civic matters including tax policy, city planning and zoning, rental conditions, land use policy, building codes, and other city, state, and federal legislation. REBNY regularly publishes market data, policy reports, and broker surveys. In addition, REBNY provides for its members: informational, technical, and technological resources; networking and charitable service opportunities; qualifying and continuing education courses; professional education programs, seminars, and designations; career-changing awards; legal advice; and a wide range of additional member benefits. For more information, please visit www.REBNY.com.

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