Industry Training Leads to Property Job for ICMS Graduate

An International College of Management, Sydney (ICMS) internship led to fulltime employment at ASX-listed retail property landlord SCA Property Group for ICMS graduate Ben Manton.

Manton, who completed his Bachelor of Property Management at ICMS in 2016, stayed on at Shopping Centres Australasia (SCA Property Group) after graduation, and is currently working in retail development at the Sydney Head Office.

According to their website, SCA Property Group is “an internally managed real estate investment trust (REIT) owning a portfolio of quality sub-regional and neighbourhood shopping centres and freestanding retail assets focused on convenience retailing across Australia”.

SCA Property Group is just one of a number of industry partners aligned to ICMS, a career-focused higher education institution based in Sydney’s Northern Beaches, NSW. Manton’s current employment with the industry partner that provided his industry training is just one of many examples of this instance, with ICMS boasting an almost 90% student employment rate post-graduation.

“I started my current role through ICMS industry training which helped me understand the basics of the property industry, and from there I just grew and developed in the company. They kept me on which has been a really great achievement,” Manton said.

He progressed from leasing administration to being part of the team that handles shopping centre developments. Manton sees this role as a stepping stone towards continued upward mobility within the industry and at the company.

“There are some great leaders at SCA Property Group who have inspired me on a personal and professional level and I hope one day to achieve what they have,” he said.

“In the future I hope to become a Senior Leader training other graduates as this is such an important time for career development. I’m constantly learning in this industry so this is definitely the next goal I’m working towards.”

Manton’s biggest career achievement to date was in his role within the team finalising a retail development in far north QLD.

“I was a part of this project from commencement and assisted the senior development team through to completion. I learned a lot along the way, something which I really enjoyed but also benefited from immensely.”

The ICMS Bachelor of Property degree attracted Manton because of a strong interest in the broader property industry as a whole whilst the industry training component allowed him to refine his skills in a particular sector. This real-life work experience built into every degree offered at ICMS – where students gain hands-on experience in the industry in which they hope to forge a career – was especially attractive to Manton.

“One piece of advice I would offer to somebody wanting to study property is do your research on what sector you would like to specialise in. There are a lot of different avenues out there. I find it really enjoyable seeing “tangible progress” so I’m in retail developments at the moment and really loving it.”

For more information on the ICMS Bachelor of Property (Development, Investment and Valuation), click here: https://www.icms.edu.au/course/bachelor-property-development-investment-and-valuation For more information on SCA Property Group, click here: http://www.scaproperty.com.au/