At Equites, our focus extends beyond logistics properties. We have a sincere interest in developing people through various ESG initiatives, but especially those that relate to the next generation of property professionals in the built environment.
What began as a simple offering to students to gain work experience has since flourished into a number of early-career development programmes that are growing from strength to strength.
In this blog, Nasreen Mukuddem, Head of Finance, shares how these programmes have taken shape, how they have already equipped a number of young professionals for full-time roles—both within Equites and beyond, including on international turf—and how we aim to expand our impact and, in doing so, make meaningful contributions to the industry.
Laying the foundation with Equites’ internship programme
In Equites’ early days, students would often approach us to ask whether they could take up job shadowing or vacation work opportunities with us. Given our existing desire to invest in people, we decided to formalise the process and create the opportunity for successful applicants to join us for a three- to six-month internship.
It became our aim to ensure that participants received exposure to every department, so that by the time they completed the internship, they would have a clear idea of what it takes to work in a property company and which field they wanted to pursue. We have also made a point of encouraging our interns to “drive the process”. In other words, if they wanted to understand something or gain experience in a particular field, we always encouraged them to ask so that we could make it happen.
Over the years, we have seen encouraging signs of success as a number of students who took part in our internship ended up being hired permanently at Equites or gained access to opportunities at other companies, including two who joined asset management companies in the United Kingdom.
Jade McFarlane, who was the first MLF Bursary award winner and the first to join us for our formal internship programme, is now one of our Junior Development Managers—and it has been amazing to witness her growth. Similarly, after completing the internship with us, we identified excellent potential in Tristan Fernandes, who is now one of our Development Managers, and Michael Brownlee, who is now a Junior Business Development Manager.
It makes us proud to know that we gave these individuals, and the others who have participated in our internship, a foundation from which to grow their professional acumen and skills.
Building success through our Student VAC Programme
A few years ago, outside of the scope of our internship, we still had students approaching us, asking if there was any holiday work experience they could participate in at Equites. That is when we took the steps to bring an idea that I had to fruition and begin what we now call our Student VAC Programme—a week-long programme aimed at young South African students who are working towards or interested in a profession in the built environment, and which is especially beneficial for those completing their final year of study or pursuing a post-graduate qualification.
When I was qualifying as a CA, it was customary to attend “vac work programmes”, offered by a lot of audit firms. These gave me exposure to the workplace and a solid grasp of what to expect when I entered the work world. So, our Student VAC Programme was really inspired by the CA world, with us seeking a way to create a comparable experience for the built environment sector.
I sat with Jade and Tristan—who were ideally positioned to share insights, being recent graduates themselves—and sought to understand what it was that they would have wanted exposure to when they were Property Studies students. They then defined topics and came up with the course content, working together with each department, whose representatives also had the opportunity to contribute to the programme outline.
Since then, we have continued shaping the programme. After each one, we take feedback from the students and staff and build on that, tailoring our offering so that it remains relevant and engaging. It is not merely a course we compiled years ago that we “copy and paste” without revision. Positively, the only feedback we have received that we are unable to take action on is the request to extend the duration of the course.
The programme requires a significant resource commitment from our side, but it is well worth it. Throughout the week, interactive sessions are held with various Equites team members, including—unlike any other programme of this kind that we know of—with our CEO, Andrea Taverna-Turisan, who enthusiastically gives of his time to engage with the participants. At the end of the week, students present a project to the whole office. Everyone thoroughly enjoys hearing from the students, sharing their insights, asking them questions and seeing the fruits of the week’s work.
A “bonus” that has emerged from these programmes is that they give students access to an esteemed network of professionals. Additionally, it has given us access to a pool of talent that we can reach out to as career vacancies arise. In fact, we have already had Ammarah Daya—a Student VAC Programme participant from February 2024—join us as a full-time employee, in the role of Junior Asset Manager, and we are excited to see her continue expanding her skillset with us.
Paving the way forward by offering the MRICS qualification
Around this time last year, Andrea and I started engaging more with universities to make them aware of the MLF Bursary and our Student VAC Programme, but also to see how Equites could be further involved in investing in students. In discussion with professors from the Construction Economics and Management Department at UCT, we became aware of the desire among many students to qualify as Chartered Surveyors via RICS—a UK-headquartered professional body for the built environment and other property domains, with a global footprint. To do so, they would need to obtain an MRICS qualification, but the pathway to doing so right out of university is not easily accessible.
The professors shared that they had started a programme with an unlisted property company that enables students to qualify with an MRICS, and that Equites would be the first REIT in South Africa to offer a formal MRICS programme. Realising that we were in fact ideally suited to do so, we engaged with the property company’s team and gleaned valuable advice and feedback that propelled us to set this initiative in motion. Going on the advice we received, we decided to offer this opportunity to two candidates—one within Equites and one currently completing their post-graduate degree at UCT.
Tristan, having grown with us from his internship, eagerly committed to taking on the challenge as our “internal candidate” and began the course in January 2025. Knowing that the qualification is not an easy undertaking—having to write up a daily journal, complete case studies and spend a minimum of 20 hours per year on CPD activities on top of the individual’s existing workload—we wanted to be certain that we were investing in capable candidates.
To admit a student into the programme, we were given the opportunity to present to the UCT Property Studies honours class. Jaun Knoesen, Executive Head of Property Development, led the presentation by sharing insights on our Meadowview S5 development, which would become a project that the candidates would be involved with from beginning to end, to meet one of the course requirements. After going through an interview process and receiving incredibly positive feedback from the professors, we accepted Kirana Malapermal who we are thrilled to be working with.
Adding new heights with a sponsored university-level award
During our engagements with UCT, we wanted to understand if there were any other ways that we could give back and equip students. In doing so, we discovered that there was a gap to take on a sponsorship opportunity for the Property Development I or II courses. Andrea agreed that we would do so for both.
What this means is that Equites awards the student with the highest average across these two courses in a single academic year. The award covers the cost of their honours studies if they plan to proceed with these post-graduate studies the following year. Additionally, the students are invited to attend the next scheduled Student VAC Programme, without needing to follow the application process. Recipients also have their names engraved on a floating trophy, which remains in the Equites office, and receive a keepsake version.
We recently attended the first awards ceremony at UCT and were delighted to hand this award over to our first recipient, Baraka Ntimba. We are confident that she is going to excel in her endeavours. Being present at the ceremony was also a fantastic opportunity for us to identify other award-winning students with excellent potential, so that we can remain alert to talent when it comes to future Student VAC Programme applications and vacancy opportunities.
Planning for the future
It has been a very rewarding journey so far, helping students and young professionals in the built environment gain insight into the working world, refine their skills and grow their knowledge. Yes, we gain access to a phenomenal talent pool as a “byproduct” of our efforts and we, too, learn from the next generation of property professionals, but our intention is that we hope to benefit these young individuals and contribute meaningfully to the industry on the whole. We have already been contacted by other property companies who are developing similar programmes and we have been able to share some of our learnings with them, enabling others to succeed.
Looking ahead, we aim to continue these efforts, constantly keeping a finger on the pulse, remaining proactive in adapting what we offer, and striving to expand our reach as far as possible, via other universities and channels.
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