_Knight Frank partners with CareerTrackers Indigenous Internship Program

We are proud to have a partnership with CareerTrackers, an internship program which creates pathways and support systems for indigenous young adults to successfully transition from university into the workplace.

We recently hosted our first two interns, Kirra-Lea in Brisbane and Nikia in Adelaide, who have shared with us their stories, career goals and experiences with Knight Frank Australia.

Can you tell us a bit about your family history, and your experience in the Indigenous community?

Kirra-Lea: My name is Kirra-Lea Stuart and I am a proud Iningai and Gubbi Gubbi woman. My great grandmother was born in Central Western Queensland on Iningai Country. Her name was Maria White and she was part of the stolen generation. The strong connection I have with my Aboriginal heritage comes from the strong women in my family. They are the role models in my life that I look up to and learn from. I am also an active member of my community and volunteer for the not-for-profit Aboriginal organisation, Gubbi Gubbi Dyungungoo Group Inc.

Nikia: My name is Nikia Bailey and I am a Ngarrindjeri woman living on Kaurna land. The Ngarrindjeri people are the traditional Aboriginal people of the lower Murray River, western Fleurieu Peninsula and Coorong in South Australia. I am involved within the Indigenous community in a variety of ways, working as an advocate and mentor with young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. I do a lot of work with the organisation headspace to discuss issues pertaining to young Indigenous people in Australia. I also work within my immediate community at high schools to tutor and mentor the students which is very rewarding.

How did you learn about the CareerTrackers Indigenous Internship Program?

Kirra-Lea: My older sister was a CareerTrackers intern when I was in high school, so this inspired me to join the CareerTrackers program after high school.  After finishing high school, I joined the CareerTrackers pre-uni internship program that allowed me to intern for one month before I attended university.

Nikia: I was introduced to the CareerTrackers program through University where I could contact a Career Advisor at CareerTrackers to discuss the program, how it worked and how I could be involved.

Can you tell us about how the Internship Program works?

Kirra-Lea: CareerTrackers is a non-profit organisation that creates pathways and support systems for Indigenous young adults to attend and graduate from university. Depending on your degree, CareerTrackers will set you up with a suitable company to conduct an internship in your university holidays. This internship program provides Indigenous university students the opportunity to gain experience in their selected industry, establish connections with large companies and learn knowledge to take back into their university studies.  When a student signs up with CareerTrackers they are more likely to complete university and 95% of alumni to the program are in full-time employment in their field.

Nikia: CareerTrackers works with over 200 companies and universities across Australia that allows students to intern during their University summer and winter breaks. Throughout the year there are also program days and networking opportunities with other interns and alumni.

How has the CareerTrackers internship supported you so far?

Kirra-Lea: CareerTrackers helps me plan out my goals for each semester of university and checks up on my progress each month. Each student has an advisor that is there to help the student with study progress, professional development and their career. CareerTrackers has taught me the skills I need to pursue the career I want. I have been to many professional development workshops that have taught me the fundamentals of entering the workforce. Professionalism, confidence and organisation are things I have significantly improved on since graduating high school.

Nikia: I am extremely lucky to have completed three summer internships through CareerTrackers, along with attending multiple program days and professional development programs. The internships assist me financially throughout the University year and have provided me with experience which will benefit me after I complete my studies. I feel incredibly supported by the network I have created within the CareerTrackers community as well as from the advisors.

What are you currently studying, and what kind of role and industry would you like to end up in?

Kirra-Lea: I am currently studying a Bachelor of Business/Property Economics and major in International Business at QUT. I would like to start my career in the property industry and become an Analyst or a sales agent in commercial.

Nikia: I am currently completing my Honours in Psychology at the University of South Australia. I hope to complete my Masters in Clinical Psychology to become a Clinical Psychologist and work with young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. I can see myself pursuing a variety of opportunities in this area, but this is my main goal.

What are the next steps, or next goals in your career path?

Kirra-Lea: The next step for me in my career path includes graduating university and securing a graduate role in the property industry. Also, I’m currently completing my real estate certificate to understand more about the profession I want to pursue.

Nikia: My next steps after completing Honours at the end of this year is to be accepted into a Masters program.

Can you tell us about your time at Knight Frank?

Kirra-Lea: I conducted a 10-week internship with Knight Frank after I finished my university semester in November and worked full-time everyday till February.  During my time I rotated through the Leasing, Capital Markets and Occupier Services teams in Brisbane. Things I worked on include updating listing sheets on CRM, doing summary reports, completing stacking plans and working on RFP responses. Key things I learnt included learning the terminology used in the industry and learning how agents sell property.

Nikia: I was with Knight Frank for six weeks working a mixture of full-time and part-time. For the majority of my internship I worked with the People & Culture team which aligned with my psychology studies. I also did some work within the Adelaide office, gaining experience in a corporate environment and office duties. I primarily worked on a training session focused on unconscious bias and diversity & inclusion in general. I learnt a lot about how this side of a company operates and valued diversifying my professional experience.

What was the highlight of your time at Knight Frank, or what did you find most valuable?

Kirra-Lea: One of the biggest highlights with my time at Knight Frank include being able to network and talk to people in each team and hear their stories and advice. This gave me a better understanding of how I can prepare for my future and what to expect.  During this internship, I also enjoyed getting out on site to conduct inspections and visiting buildings that Knight Frank manage.

Nikia: I enjoyed attending regular meetings with a range of teams as it provided me with insight into how different elements of the company operate to meet a holistic goal.

Has your time at Knight Frank helped you to make any career decisions?

Kirra-Lea: Interning at Knight Frank has reassured and motivated me to keep pursuing a career in property. I was inspired by the confidence and drive of the people I worked with and would like to follow in their footsteps.

What would you say to anyone looking at joining the CareerTrackers internship program, at Knight Frank or any other company?

Kirra-Lea: This is an opportunity worth taking as it can change your outlook on university and give you a vision of what your career could look like. For me, interning at Knight Frank and joining CareerTrackers has given me the confidence and work experience to enter the workforce post-graduation. Joining CareerTrackers gave me the opportunity to network and meet like-minded Indigenous university students.

Nikia: I would say that completing an internship at Knight Frank is a very rewarding experience which allows you to gain experience in several areas. There are so many teams that work together within the company which gives you the opportunity to work across multiple business lines with many different people.

Learn more about the CareerTrackers Indigenous Internship Program here.