Black Trump Initiative: A special thanks to Governor and co.

To be clear, the property development and estate management degree is not an easy one to discern. Especially given my predisposition to construction companies and their visibility. Its broad nature makes it difficult to track those already in the field and also makes the search for professional accreditation not as easy. The Black Trump Initiative made it a little easier so this is a thank you piece.

While carrying out my own research into what may very well become my career. It immediately became apparent that employer-student relations and outreach programmes are on a slow ride. Discussions with like-minded property students have attributed this to the rout of covid and to some extent, a little lapse by the private-public sector due to the abstract benefits from running such programmes.

The same like-minded conversations made it clear that any resuscitation of the outreach programmes would have to begin first with the students. I will admit that my own efforts into having firms and organisations to lead the programmes had an error. Centralised operations around a brand or firm give ground to a failed foundation due to co-operative failure between brands in industry. This is where the Black Trump Initiative comes into play.

The Black Trump Initiative

The Black Trump Initiative is a student led group for property students looking to better train themselves for what’s ahead in the industry. The initiative aims to unite and incubate networking opportunities for like-minded professionals. Kevin ‘Governor’ Andile, the current leader of the initiative has his modus operandi emanating from the belief of catching the inquisitive problem solver at a young age.

The Black Trump Initiative provides members news articles, a platform for illuminative discourse and case law for property students as well as professionals, some of which I was surprised to find in the group. In retrospect I should have expected to find at least one major property investor in the group, the initiative is making progress. Property development by definition is a vary wide term, the initiative, taking lead from one of its network of mentors is diversifying the group to incorporate different industries with the same interest in real property.

Of recent experiences

While still new to the initiative’s effort, I’d like to draw attention to the recent property talk webinar hosted by Leimen Ltd. The webinar, was primarily focused on career guidance and in view was the best foot to start with. Hearing varied approaches to creating the ‘professional persona’ was particularly eye opening. Not because it partly explained what my own degree is, in essential, having as an objective but because the highlight of the webinar started from the concept of a practical student.

The idea that feeling out the industry as a collective and through practical means is important on 2 aspects. The first being the idea of value generation, to which I’m totally subscribed to and secondly, the field test.

Value generation

I imagine, from an employer’s stand point, it would be off putting to have a student say from NUST come into your office and ask for an industrial attachment position. This with no background of practical work especially in such a broad degree. The idea behind value generation here is to show potential competence in a role, which helps your potential employer especially given the economic conditions of Zimbabwe currently. Nobody I assume would want to take a roll of the dice in an economy that is in itself a dice.

Being able to take on projects and collaborate with industry experts on existing projects allows you to in turn provide value from the early onset to both clients and employers, if you do go through that route in the short term. Making that industrial attachment period a little easier to live through.

The field Test

One pitfall of having a broad degree is the conundrum of selecting a specialty. Broad degrees often offer in the very least 4 vastly differed albeit related specialty fields. The field test, the act of taking theoretical lessons into the practical world will help in choosing which aspect of property development and estate management you would like to become the go to expert in.

It’s a bit of luck that I was invited into the zoom meeting by Governor. If I were to take only one thing from this webinar it would be the will and particular focus in making connections with industry and current colleagues. Finding meaning and potentially a career should be and is founded upon dirtying your hands and getting them stung. You might actually like the bite.

Of future experiences

There a couple of webinars coming up. If I remember correctly, one of the guest speakers will be presenting on mortgage facilities and how they operate in both erection of real estate as well as acquiring real estate. If the last presentation was anything to go by I expect this one to be as value packed. Maybe just maybe I can squeeze some of the discussion into my exams, I am low key excited to go beyond the box.

Leimen Limited as been host to multiple webinars in the past and oh man I wish I knew of these earlier. I’m glad I might just be a part of the ride with the initiative now.

One of many

On a personal scope, I hope this is one of many webinars/seminars of such quality I get to interact in. Even if it is not for taking actual practical advice from those already in industry, just knowing that the industry is alive and breathing gives hope to otherwise what was becoming a chronic concern.

On an industry scope, my tombstone will be on the hill that stands to the testament that I did not research hard enough and unearth other such programmes. Sincerely, I hope that The Black Trump Initiative is one of many helping other students, experts and the average Joe and Jane add colour to their dreams.

The Black Trump Initiative is only 8 months old at the time of writing so there’s much to be done. The journey has not been a walk in the park as it may seem from afar according to Governor, rightly so as it does look shiny from where I’m sat. Governor’s team has so far managed to survive whatever predicament they face. The executive team as an example has been scooping up distinctions as a result of the network effect present in the initiative as well as their winning mentality.

If you would like to know more about the initiative as well as future similar webinars. Go ahead and click here to go directly into my whatsapp inbox

To more interaction, value sharing and edge driven commitment. Cheers!

2 thoughts on “Black Trump Initiative: A special thanks to Governor and co.”

  1. Pingback: What is property development in Zimbabwe? - Ntandoyenkosi Mahonde

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