1. 27.05.11<br />Top students go head-to-head in Property Awards<br />Four students from leading Universities across the South West are competing to be named South West winner of the 2011 Women in Property National Student Awards. <br />The young women have already faced the experts, when they went before a judging panel in March, but on 31st May 2011 the winning student will be named at a special regional Awards event to be held at the Arnolfini, Bristol. The Winner will then go forward to the “The Best of the Best” final on 27th September at Claridge’s in London.<br />Georgina Tibbs (Barton Willmore LLP), Branch Chair, said, “All the student entrants have done exceptionally well to be nominated by their Universities in what is a challenging competition, so in this respect they are all winners. This is the fifth year Women in Property (WiP) has run the Awards which brings forward the top female property and construction students in the region. As well as celebrating their aptitude for the industry, it encourages Business and Academia to come together to help these young women gain the necessary skills and valuable experience for their future careers.”<br />The Universities were invited by WiP to put forward their top female second year students studying Built Environment degree courses. The students were then asked to attend an interview with the panel of judges who scrutinised a piece of their coursework and discussed aspects of the industry. As in previous years the judges, Geoff Rose (Byrne Group Plc), Tim Roberts (DLP Planning Ltd), James de Havilland (Barton Willmore Partnership) and Clive Woodford (Ridge & Partners LLP) were impressed with the calibre and enthusiasm of the students they met. <br />Geoff Rose of Byrne Group Plc said “It is immensely gratifying to be involved in a process which is so obviously of enormous benefit to these very talented young women. These Awards involve them demonstrating their presentation skills, interview techniques, initiative and ingenuity, all of which will be of great value when job interviews come along in a year or so. It all goes towards making them ‘career-ready’.”<br />The four regional finalists for 2011 are:<br />Hollie Deverell studying Architecture at the University of Plymouth<br />Sophia Wing studying Architectural Environmental Engineering at UWE<br />Arinola Abisola Oladeji studying Architecture and Planning at UWE<br />Sarah Hayes studying Property Development and Planning at UWE<br />Sara Hayball was winner of the South West Award last year and is in no doubt of the benefits they bring, “The student awards introduced me to some inspirational people. The process of the awards taught me a lot about the property industry and the gender gap that still exists in it.It was a fantastic opportunity, that I am very grateful for”.<br />The winner of the 2011 South West Award will receive £300, an opportunity for work experience, free membership of the Association upon graduating and the opportunity to participate in the WiP mentoring programme whereby a mentor will support them in their early career. <br />ENDS <br /> <br />