Knight Frank, a leading independent global property consultancy, has launched an academy in Nigeria to develop talents for the real estate industry. The academy is aimed at addressing the growing talent gap in the sector and ensuring quality and good maintenance of buildings.
Speaking at the launch of the academy in Lagos, Frank Okosun, Managing Director of Knight Frank Nigeria, said the academy is a response to concerns raised by stakeholders across the real estate industry about the declining quality of personnel looking to develop a career as chartered surveyors, valuers, and real estate brokers.
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“Knight Frank therefore developed the Academy initiative as one of the ways of returning value to the society by helping to bridge the gap between the competency level of fresh graduates and what is required of entry-level professionals by leading estate surveyors and valuer firms,” Okosun said.
The academy will be held annually and may evolve into more than one batch per year. Okosun said Knight Frank has invested a lot of resources in the initiative and is committed to doing more.
Toyin Lasaki, Head of Human Resources and Administration at Knight Frank Nigeria, said the academy will also help to bridge the gap between what is learnt in school and the real world of work, as well as provide fresh graduates with the key competencies required in the workspace.”I
n addition, the objective of the academy is also to create a talent pipeline for Knight Frank and other collaborating real estate consultancy firms to bridge the talent gap created by the ‘Japa syndrome’,” Lasaki said.
The Japa syndrome is a term used to describe the increasing number of Nigerian professionals relocating to other countries in search of better opportunities.Johnbull Amaevho, President of the Nigeria Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers, expressed his delight at the launch of the academy. He said it is the first of its kind in Nigeria and will go a long way in addressing the talent gap in the real estate industry.
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The Knight Frank Academy is a welcome development for the Nigerian real estate industry. It is hoped that the academy will produce well-trained and competent professionals who will help to drive the growth and development of the sector.