Russell Group becomes key partner in Keystone education scheme
The Keystone New Zealand Property Education Trust, the country’s leading property scholarship fund, has announced the Russell Group has become a key partner to support tertiary level property students.
The Russell Group, which includes Dominion Constructors, Russell Gordon Contracting, Acrow and Stresscrete, will award an annual scholarship of $5000 to a student who has already undertaken some tertiary study.
The first scholarship will cover the next university year, commencing in the second semester this year and will be available for applications in June.
Keystone Trust now has seven key scholarship partners, 13 sponsors and six supporters comprising a virtual Who’s Who of the property sector. At any given time the trust is supporting around 20 students in their studies.
Other scholarship partners are Bayleys, Fletcher Construction, Coffey, cost planning advisers Barnes Beagley Doherr, Westfield owner and operator Scentre Group, and project management specialists Xigo.
The trust’s 13 sponsors are DNZ Property Fund, Bell Gully, RCP, Minter Ellison Rudd Watts, ASB, Hawkins, Holmes Consulting Group, The Building Intelligence Group, AECOM, Kiwi Property, JLL, Arrow International and the Buchan Group.
The six supporters are the Clarity Business, Staples Rodway, PCNZ, MCA Investments, PwC, and Image Centre Group.
At the end of last year the trust had awarded five study awards and five key sponsor scholarships
Keystone Trust general manager Victoria McArthur says the trust gives students from challenging backgrounds a hand up into property-related tertiary studies in fields such as architecture, property law, engineering, planning and construction.
“Now in its 21st year, Keystone Trust provides an open door for young people to achieve careers in property when otherwise that may have seemed a bridge too far. We believe that if exceptional young people have a dream to become part of the property and construction industry, it is our job to help them get there, irrespective of their background,” McArthur says.
“Our sponsors are some of the finest organisations from the New Zealand property sector — companies which recognise the importance of paying it forward to assist in the growth of our industry”.
“We are always seeking more sponsors, because the more companies that participate, the more young people we can help. I therefore urge anyone interested to get involved, as they will get a huge amount out of their involvement with Keystone.”
The latest annual scholarship recognises the life and contribution of Russell Group founder Alf Russell, who died in 2011, having dedicated more than 50 years to the construction industry.
Karuna Hambammer, a third year engineering student at Auckland University, said that a scholarship had enabled her to focus on her studies “by alleviating the stresses that come with the expense of a tertiary education”.
Hambammer said she had been introduced to people in a variety of property fields who were helping her with valuable advice on how to succeed once she graduates.
The more companies
that participate,
the more young people we can
help. Victoria McArthur, Keystone Trust
general manager