| Finding exceptional employees for the apartment | | | | The success of this program can and does |
| management industry requires educating | | | | attract a number of the large regional apartment |
| prospective employees about the career | | | | management companies as participants. All of the |
| opportunities. Lane Company, located in Georgia, is | | | | prospective employees that attend the job fair |
| one of the founders of the Georgia Apartment | | | | have already made property management their |
| Industry Education Foundation. The main intent of | | | | intended career and are very excited about it. It |
| this organization is to tell people about the | | | | is so encouraging to see so many young people |
| apartment management industry and the various | | | | actively interested in the details of each |
| types of careers available in that industry. | | | | apartment management company. |
| Though the Foundation is not very old, it has | | | | In addition to coursework in apartment |
| raised nearly half a million dollars to further | | | | management offered by the colleges, internships |
| education in this area, and also to make | | | | are also a great way to get students interested in |
| connections with various universities in the area. | | | | an management career. Again, using Lane |
| The first property management courses were | | | | Company as an example, they offered a thirteen |
| started at the University of Georgia, with the first | | | | week internship over the summer. Seven interns |
| class having an enrollment of one hundred and | | | | enrolled in the program this past summer, and |
| twenty students. The next semester the class | | | | these interns applied after they heard about the |
| had more than tripled in size, with nearly four | | | | great time the interns had during the previous |
| hundred students requesting enrollment. | | | | summer. |
| The class utilized the apartment management | | | | This particular summer internship program is much |
| community in the area, with frequent guest | | | | more than just a summer of management leasing |
| lecturers from various apartment management | | | | or busy work. It is a very structured program |
| companies within Georgia. College students are | | | | that exposes the students to the major tasks of |
| very interested in the field, and they view it as | | | | each different position within the company. It |
| related to the hotel management industry but | | | | does include weeks with leasing agents, with |
| without many of its drawbacks, such as | | | | maintenance employees, and even with the |
| extremely long and varied hours. Other | | | | accountants and construction crews on new |
| universities, such as Georgia Tech, also offer | | | | apartment complexes. |
| management courses with success. | | | | Finding the employees of tomorrow requires |
| One of the more established college programs is | | | | educating the college students of today in the |
| given at Florida State. The apartment | | | | many opportunities of an management career. |
| management courses offered there are part of | | | | Each of the many apartment management |
| their residential property management major, and | | | | communities should consider giving their time and |
| have an established curriculum and internship | | | | expertise to the local colleges. This might be in the |
| program. The program is successful enough that | | | | form of an occasional guest lecture, or working |
| the college now has a job fair exclusively for the | | | | with some professors to design and implement a |
| property management school | | | | great summer internship program. It is worth it. |
