Understanding the future of the Condominium Management industry begins with understanding those working to join it. By conducting a study of students attending condo management classes through Ontario Learn, Michael Trendota has gathered an abundance of data to help understand the next generation of industry professionals.
This allows employers to be better equipped to support and accommodate a diverse body of incoming employees, and prepares the industry for a strong future. Trendota concludes that the scope of his research established 3 important things:
The students preparing to become licensed condo managers are a diverse group
They come from varying levels of educational backgrounds
Many are currently already involved in the industry in some respect
What does this tell us?
Diversity
Looking at the statistics, students were split fairly evenly between men and women, with 51% identifying as men and 49% as women.
A similar ratio is seen between students who completed high school in Canada or elsewhere, indicating just under 50% are first generation Canadians. The ages of those surveyed ranged between early 20’s to early 70’s, spread fairly evenly throughout.
This displays a broad range of life experience, personalities, and perspectives that are all coming together to join the condo management industry, which helps enhance the dynamic service provided in communities across the province.
2. Education
According to Trendota’s data, those currently enrolled in the condo management program come from varying degrees of education. Higher education is not a prerequisite for condo management, but many people find insight through a multitude of other programs to aid in this position. With backgrounds ranging from a highschool diploma to a PhD, the most common level of education completed previously were a Bachelor’s Degree with 17 students, and a previous College Certificate with 11 students. Several students reported having completed some college or university, or a highschool diploma.
This range of educational backgrounds spans across a variety of subjects, furthering the depth of diverse knowledge entering the industry. Many of these students also reported receiving financial compensation for the condo management courses from their current employers, which indicates a growing support and encouragement for continuing education that creates positive change in the industry.
3. Involvement
With the increasing momentum of employers encouraging their staff to continue their education, many of the current students studying to become condo managers are currently employed in the industry. 52% of these students indicated that they are employed in a role such as “a Condominium Manager, Condominium Administrator, Site Administrator, Concierge, Superintendent, and similar roles”. Of the remaining, 40% reported that while they were not currently employed in the industry, they were actively seeking to join it.
The majority of the surveyed students also confirmed that they are familiar with ACMO, with 19% reporting to already be a member.
What Michael Trendota’s research tells us is that the future of the condo management industry is already here, diligently working towards improving condominium management through educated strategies. With much promise for success, these diverse, intelligent individuals are certain to bring positive change to the industry, and are in fact already doing so.
