JLL’s Commercial Academy is a comprehensive program designed for all levels and functional segments within the company’s Real Estate Management Services (REMS) business. It aims to reach three core objectives:
- Personal skill development: Build individual commercial understanding of business fundamentals: revenue generation, profit conversion, and risk management.
- Career advancement: Provide employees with commercial skills that unlock new opportunities.
- Business performance: Enhance the organization’s ability to win business and deliver exceptional client service.
The program positions commercial skills as career accelerators, giving employees access to roles previously beyond their reach while simultaneously improving business performance.
Program Details
JLL believes climbing the mountain to commercial success is not a sprint but a deliberate, step-by-step planned journey. Each stage of the climb requires vision, discipline, and teamwork—principles modeled in the Commercial Academy’s structure.
In the beginning stages of the program, learners move along a broader trail, building stamina and gathering general knowledge through eLearning via JLL’s MyLearning platform.
Base Camp: This 30-minute eLearning module covering foundational business knowledge is open to all REMS levels; provides an overview of JLL business and REMS; and introduces commercial concepts, the account lifecycle, and profit-and-loss statements (P&L). Learners receive a one-page reference of key takeaways to support putting their knowledge into action.
Ascent: Each of the 14 microlearning modules in this self-paced series offers deeper exploration of commercial concepts, including management fees, payment terms, inflation, and financial due diligence. The series wraps with a knowledge check of all 14 commercial concepts.
Altitude: Designed for mid-management and above, this level immerses learners in the win, run, and renew stages of an account, from receiving requests for proposals (RFPs) and negotiating commercial terms to mobilizing accounts and renewing contracts through interactive eLearning scenarios. Learners select their path through a choose-your-own adventure-style immersive scenario, allowing them to test their knowledge to find the most optimal solutions to real-world commercial challenges. Global leaders share their insights on scenarios through interviews.
As the climb continues, the trail steepens and the path narrows. At this elevation, success comes from joining teams and trusting experienced guides. This is where learners pivot to in-person training, working directly with experts to develop skills needed to navigate tougher, more specialized terrain:
Summit: This expert-led, in-person workshop experience features tailored, commercially focused content that addresses account-specific business needs and challenges.
Pioneer: A roundtable discussion attended by the C-suite and JLL Board members looks at how the company moves forward and innovates in changing market conditions commercially.
Knowledge exams at the end of modules and manager surveys reinforce knowledge and behavior changes.
Members of the Altitude Graduate Network share industry insights, learn from diverse career paths, and access ongoing professional development through organized networking such as virtual coffee meet-ups. Graduates also are provided access to a library of industry resources, including course reviews, video modules, case studies, and career development tools that support continued growth in commercial real estate to reinforce their knowledge.
Results
JLL’s Commercial Academy played a significant role in supporting the 12 percent market share growth Real Estate Management Services (REMS) achieved in second quarter 2025. The academy’s focus on practical, real-world scenarios helped employees identify and capitalize on new business opportunities, improve win rates, and ensure contract compliance.
In addition, graduates of Commercial Academy have a retention rate of 89.29 percent, and a promotion rate of 13 percent, a marker two times the baseline.
