November 1, 2004—Results of the first phase of a major joint research project have found FMs upbeat about the profession but concerned about future skill shortages.
The overwhelming majority of the FMs questioned want to see facilities management develop further as a professional business discipline. Most are very positive about their careers. Of the 207 respondents, 63% want to develop a wider strategic role and 28% a wider operational role.
There is more to be done, however, in getting the message across to employers. Only just over half (51.3%) of the FMs participating said that their organizations value facilities management as making an important contribution to core business. Another 34.9% said their organizations saw FM as making some contribution.
But recruitment problems and potential skill shortages were flagged as a future concern in both the survey and complementary workshops. When asked to look forward over the next five to ten years, survey participants reported this as a growing problem for the profession.
In describing themselves, about 5% of respondents said they had no formal qualifications at all; almost 19% said they had only school qualifications (eg GCSE, A Levels); and 27% had a first degree in some discipline only 1.4% of those in FM. 11% held the BIFM Qual.
When asked to rate the importance of the functions of FM bodies such as the BIFM, 62.8% cited provision of qualifications, 67.1% cited provision of information and 75.8% cited profile-raising for facilities management. The lowest ranked priorities were collaborative initiatives and CPD.
The ‘Rethinking Facilities Management’ program, led by the BIFM and part-funded by the DTI set out to look at the role of FM in UK organizations and how this may change and develop over the next few years.
The results of the survey will be used to inform the next stage of the project—an ‘agenda’ or action plan to enable the BIFM and other bodies to support the development of the facilities management sector over the next five to ten years. In addition, a web-based self-development tool and resource guide for the individual facilities manager, based on the issues and concerns highlighted in the survey, are currently in production.
—Elliott Chase
Reprinted with permission; copyright 2004 i-FM
