FACILITIES MANAGEMENT JOURNAL JOBS
FM CAREERS - TRAINING
Change has always been
recognised as a key challenge
for the FM community,
but the current scale and nature
of the changes taking place are
unprecedented. At a national level,
the UK’s exit from the EU is causing
significant uncertainty with all the
associated implications for business
and investment. Alongside, the
debate about the future role of FM in
the wider context of the workplace
continues, as witnessed by the
BIFM’s recent re-branding to the
Institute of Workplace and Facilities
Management (IWFM). It’s already clear
that we can expect major changes
as new technologies make even
greater impacts on how and where
we work, and the continued tension
between maximising productivity
and maintaining a healthy work-life
balance demands increasingly skilful
management.
What do these issues signal about
the future profile of FM and workplace
management jobs? In the short term,
how should we approach training
and development planning given
the potential impacts on operational
priorities and budgets? Despite the
current pressures and uncertainties,
it’s clear that maintaining day-to-day
operations e ectively remains a top
priority, but as the FM profession seeks
to reposition itself in recognition of an
expanding remit and a diverse range of
operating environments, we can’t ignore
the need to stand back and re-evaluate
our core skills and capabilities.
The introduction of professional FM
qualifications from Levels 2 – 7 has
undoubtedly transformed the learning
and development landscape in recent
years, providing greater structure and
clarity for planning purposes, as well
as nationally recognised progression
pathways. However, despite the
importance of formal study, we
shouldn’t ignore the requirement for
basic skills development or postqualification
CPD. It’s important to
assess where and how undertaking
qualifications can benefit individuals
in the wider team context, and where
investment in refresher training and / or
basic skills development can deliver real
benefits. The expanding range of options
can make learning and development
planning seem complicated, but there
are wider benefits to adopting a more
strategic approach which can deliver
significant performance improvements.
As both an accredited qualifications
provider and a CPD centre, Quadrilect
regularly work with clients to understand
how to achieve best value from their
development resources in the short and
medium term, and it’s a key reason why
we now o er a choice of flexible Annual
Training Passes which can support
organisations looking to mix and match
one-o training sessions and face-toface
tuition as part of a qualifications
programme. In uncertain times it’s also
an e ective way of ring-fencing L & D
budgets which can easily be eroded in
the face of growing financial pressure.
Taking a more strategic approach
to planning provides a welcome
opportunity to stand back and assess
how roles and responsibilities are
evolving at an individual and team level,
and as part of the planning process it’s
well worth revisiting job descriptions
and associated competences to
benchmark where and how changes
are taking place at di erent levels. In
this sense, job descriptions are o en
neglected assets which only see the
light of day when vacancies arise. But if
managed dynamically, they can become
valuable planning tools o ering clarity
in terms of performance expectations
and defining roles in the team context.
Actively monitoring and managing role
profiles can also flag opportunities for
succession planning by identifying key
transferable skill sets, something which
FMs are going to have to work around
much more e ectively as we confront
the growing challenge of skills shortages
in the sector.
Benchmarking requirements against
published standards is an e ective
method of aligning skills with the wider
industry, and the recent publication
of new ISO standards for FM provides
another valuable resource alongside
existing professional competency
information. It can also help to focus
attention on the ‘core’ capabilities
which apply at di erent levels
within the FM operation, providing a
valuable springboard for learning and
development planning.
Whatever else happens in 2019, it’s
certain that getting ahead with the
planning process will pay dividends and
making sure that budgets are secure as
well as demonstrating best value will be
more important than ever.
ANOTHER LEVEL
You can benchmark your core
capability profiles against our
professional pathways ranging
from introductory to senior
levels or select from a range of
new courses for 2019 focusing
on emerging industry trends and
skills needs, including:
ISO 41001 – understand and
apply the new internationally
recognised FM Management
Framework
Wellness in the Workplace – cut
through the hype around the
wellness agenda and discover
how to implement programmes
successfully in your own
context.
ISO 41012, Strategic Sourcing –
take a fresh look at both tactical
and strategic procurement
practices in the light of the new
international standard.
Applying NLP in Facilities
Management – understand how
to influence for better results
and improve relationships
The 7 Habits of Highly E ective
FMs - Learn to apply Covey’s
7 Habits of Highly E ective
People to the management of
the working environment
Workplace Coaching to improve
FM Performance - how to
motivate your team, help
them develop and improve
performance, and support an
evolving organisation
ISO 45001 Occupational Health
& Safety - put in place an
occupational health and safety
(OH&S) management system.
This will help you manage their
OH&S risks and improve OH&S
performance
Rachel Hiscox, Managing Director at FM Training and Qualifi cations
provider Quadrilect off ers advice for FMs on skilling up for the
challenges facing facilities management in 2019
56 DECEMBER/JANUARY 2019