Facilities managers are responsible for many of the buildings and services which support businesses and other types of organisations.
Facility management is an interdisciplinary business function that coordinates space, infrastructure, people and organization. It is often associated with the administration of office blocks, arenas, schools, universities, sporting complexes, convention centers, shopping complexes, hospitals, hotels, manufacturing and shipping. Facilities management currently represents about five per cent of global GDP. Its relationship to the human resources, real estate and information technology functions of an enterprise has increased.
Within this fast growing professional discipline, facilities managers have extensive responsibilities for providing, maintaining and developing myriad services. These range from property strategy, space management and communications infrastructure to building maintenance, administration and contract management.

FM TUTOR
FM Tutor is an award winning specialised education business, helping to raise the professional competence of facilities managers.  It runs educational programmes for both individuals and clients. Based in Hampshire, the company can provide courses nationwide and across EMEA.
Jane Wiggins, owner and director of FM Tutor, began training and educating people in facilities management in 2004.  After a successful career in management of facilities with organisations such as the BBC and BA, Jane established herself as a writer and tutor of FM, offering others the benefit of her extensive knowledge and experience.  She worked for educational establishments, such as Newbury College, Malpas Flexible Learning, BPP Professional Education and the Careers Transition Partnership, helping many hundreds of people gain their BIFM Part 1 and Part 2 BIFM qualifications.
She said: “We are a team of associates, offering a wide range of expert tuition, training and education across the full spectrum of FM topics or components, such as space management, FM strategy, hard FM and soft FM, procurement, risk and sustainability and many more.
“We are a BIFM Recognised Centre, for Levels 3, 4, 5 and 6 qualifications in facilities management.  We are working with several educational centres, and clients providing assessment support, tutoring and learning materials.”
FM Tutor can help you to maximise your annual grant to support your transition to a new career in Facilities Management.
The company claims to understand your needs and can guide you through the qualification maze to optimise your time and money.
FM Tutor recommends a Level 4 Award or Certificate for most Police Leavers, followed by a Level 5 Certificate or Diploma once you have landed the FM job.
The courses in north Hampshire comprise daytime workshops, distance learning or a blended approach to suit the budget and time available. FM Tutor also manages the Potential Facilites Managers course at RTC Aldershot. Each course includes an external site visit and a guest speaker.
It’s important to relate the class based sessions to the reality of a premises and the needs of the occupants and clients.  Site visits ensure you get to see FM in action.
Director, Jane Wiggins, wrote an article for the Equipped Magazine, explaining how the FM industry suits the skills, aptitude and experiences of many service leavers. She said: “There are so many service leavers already working in our industry – you could find yourself employed by small or large organisations, in both public, private and the not-for-profit sector.  There are opportunities to work for a FM service provider, or for the client or employing organisation.  Your leadership, general management, and organisational skills, together with the “can do” attitude are vital to a successful Facilities Management Career.
You can find more information on FM Tutor by visiting the website www.fmtutor.co.uk. The site contains an easy-to-use enquiry form to enable you to contact the company and ask any questions you might have.

The British Insitute of Facilities Management
The organisational abilities required of facilities managers has made the profession particularly attractive to those leaving the Police because of the transferable skills gained during service in the armed forces. Whether you are just starting out in facilities management or are responsible for managing the facilities for numerous sites, the British Institute of Facilities Management (BIFM) has something for everyone and is a good starting point.
This professional body provides career support, training, events around the country and works to maintain the high standards and values of the profession. Phil Ibbotson is workplace contracts manager at at the Central Science Laboratory. He explained, “I enjoyed 26 years in the army before jumping ship to work for British Airways at Heathrow in World Cargo Operations. I then joined Serco at RAF Fylingdales managing the BMEWS Support Services. Following a brief interim operational post with NCP in York, I moved to The Central Science Laboratory.”
He continued: “I act as intelligent client liaison to all our service providers as well as projects managing them in delivering all hard and soft workplace services for the agency. I also get involved with security, environmental management systems, business continuity, disaster recovery, catering and childcare services.
“I joined the BIFM in the mid 1990s. I identified that being part of a recognised professional association would assist me in my career search.”
The BIFM can also help you gain the necessary qualifications. Getting ahead in the current economic climate is more challenging than ever. Whether you want to develop your skills in your current role or work towards a new position, professional qualifications can add considerable value to your skill and knowledge base. With expertise at a premium in this environment, as employers seek ever more efficient ways to meet their objectives, make sure you have the tools to deliver.
As the professional body for facilities management, BIFM has invested in developing clear progression pathways through our range of FM qualifications to support individuals and organisations in developing your FM expertise. This enables you to get ahead and achieve a benchmark of excellence in the FM industry.
The comprehensive suite of facilities management qualifications was developed with the expertise of leading FM employers and stakeholders. Endorsed by the Sector Skills Council, the qualifications are also flexible, accessible and accredited within the Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF), which means they are recognised nationally.
Also some of the BIFM Qualifications are regulated by SQA Accreditation  and have been credit rated and levelled to the Scottish Qualification Credit and Qualification Framework (SCQF).
Additionally, BIFM qualifications are crossing international borders as they can now be referenced against European qualifications framework.
Qualifications are essential to gaining respect, recognition and a secure future. The BIFM aim is to ensure that, by listening and being responsive, they reflect the needs of a dynamic and progressive facilities management industry in our suite of professional qualifications.

If facilities management is attractive to you, further comprehensive details are available on the institute’s user friendly website www.bifm.org.uk. You can also telephone them with any questions you might have on 01279 712 651.

ISS
ISS is an international facilities Management operation that recognises the value that Police leavers can brink to the workplace using their service gained transferable skills.
As part of its commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant, it launched The ISS Pathway programme in 2015, in partnership with the Ministry of Defence, the Recovery Career Services, Walking with the Wounded, and the Career Transition Partnership. The aim of the programme was to create a clear pathway for those leaving the Armed Forces into a career in facilities management. The same principles apply for those transitioning from the Police. The programme consists of four stages:
1) Insight – Through military talent days and informational days, ISS advises Armed Forces service leavers about the types of careers available with ISS and in Facilities Management generally.  Participants are also offered a corporate mentor to help them make a successful transition.
2) Training – After gaining an insight into the Facilities Management industry the service leaver can use the first few months of their resettlement period to gain qualifications they need in their future career, through the Career Transition Partnership.
3) Preparation – This stage involves getting the service leaver ‘job ready’. ISS hosts a number of workshops on CV preparation and interview skills, with individual mentors then fine tuning these core skills.
4) Job Ready – The service leaver is now job ready and is supported in applying for job opportunities. Their mentor helps them tailor their CV to each application, takes advantage of guaranteed interview offers as well as being an ‘insider’ to help provide guidance. ISS works in partnership with a number of other corporations that are keen to help the Armed Forces community. They will approach these partners if they have suitable job opportunities as well as the conventional jobs boards.

In Employment – Once the service leaver has found work, ISS stays in touch periodically to see how they are adjusting to their new role. When they have settled in, they ask them to become a mentor in order to help future service leavers make a successful transition into civilian employment.
As a result of its ongoing advocacy for the Defence community, the company holds The Defence Employer Recognition Scheme Gold Award. This scheme recognises organisations that pledge, demonstrate or advocate support to defence and the armed forces community, and align their values with the Armed Forces Covenant.

If you would like to know more about the ISS Pathway programme, please email: Corporate.Covenant@uk.issworld.com.