A Scottish factoring company with offices in Aberdeen has opened its doors to offer schoolchildren the chance to gain experience in business and property management.
Newton Property has launched the holiday placement scheme for the children of its clients to help address the lack of paid work experience opportunities for 16-18 year olds during the summer.
The scheme, which will operate from Newton’s offices Aberdeen and Glasgow, will enable the students to take part in property visits, contractor meetings and inspection of developments alongside experienced property managers.
Derek MacDonald, joint managing director at Newton Property, said: “The fully-paid work placement scheme is quite a radical step change for the sector. Newton will be paying the successful candidates the national living wage which is above the minimum wage most 16-to-18-year-olds would earn during the summer holidays.”
He added: “These students are the future of business in Scotland and we want to invest in nurturing and attracting talent from an early age.”
Lewis Littlejohn, a property manager at the company’s Glasgow office, said: “By joining the scheme participants will gain insight into a factoring company that does things a little differently.
“Property management is a brilliantly diverse and challenging career. I’ve worked under the supervision of an experienced director for the past year who has supported me to the point of now being able to handle development projects myself.”