The Greater Charlotte Apartment Association (GCAA) recently formed a partnership with Junior Achievement of Central Carolinas to lease a storefront in its Finance Park - a fully-interactive facility designed to provide real-world work/life experiences for high school students.

The storefront has a contemporary leasing office design with a focus on promoting residential property management (RPM). The space has feature walls, including one that spotlights maintenance technician and leasing agent career paths, one displaying aspects of apartment living and one with pictures of apartment communities in the Charlotte region’s rental market.

The GCAA RPM Careers Exploration Center will serve as the gateway for high schoolers seeking to enter the job market right after graduation to become better acquainted with the apartment industry.

The storefront boasts a virtual reality station for property tours, smart touch monitor with job-specific videos, budgeting information and more. The space is just one aspect of the GCAA’s broader plan to rejuvenate the multifamily housing labor market in the Charlotte region. To date, the Association has raised $113,000 from its members, foundations and the NAA Affiliate Assistance Fund for its plan that encompasses career expos and embedding the CAMT/NALP credential training into two public high schools. The embedded program known as A.C.C.E.S.S. (Apartment Career Credentials that Empower Students to Succeed) will launch this fall in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools.

For information on the program, please contact GCAA Executive Director, Kim Graham.