IFMA-RICS career map to unlock career prospects in FM

by Brianna Crandall — November 14, 2016 — A new career map was unveiled last month at IFMA’s World Workplace conference in San Diego as a priority joint output of the International Facility Management Association’s (IFMA) landmark global collaboration with U.K.-based international real estate accreditation organization the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).

By standardizing training courses, qualification requirements and certification levels internationally, the scope and potential of a career in facilities management (FM) is like never before, says IFMA.

The new IFMA-RICS career map delivers unprecedented clarity and internationally recognized authority on the skills, training and experience necessary for all professional stages and goals. It is one of many resources coming out of the collaboration designed to accelerate career development and build recognition for FM professionals as strategic leaders in the built environment.

With the guidance and credibility of the first-ever career map, the careers of FM professionals are expected to advance further and faster across multiple global markets.

According to Sean Tompkins, RICS chief executive officer:

A unified FM industry, for example, means more opportunity to make sure smart buildings operate correctly, green technology actually works and innovative designs are usable. The new career map sets a course for FM professionals to internationally align on objectives, critical metrics and best practices, which ultimately deepens their expertise and value to the built environment.

According to IFMA and RICS, the more than 25 million FM professionals in the world represent about USD1.12 trillion annually. Their role is to connect people, place, process and technology so that the buildings in their care operate as they should. For decades, FM professionals have been restrictively classified as tactical support due in large part to the lack of global uniformity in how the FM industry defined and measured itself.

Tony Keane, IFMA president and chief executive officer, added:

Shared global FM standards open a stronger, more marketable pathway for FM leaders. By eliminating fragmentation, we are building a stronger, more impactful international FM community, unified by a common professional language, even when its constituents speak different languages.

The IFMA-RICS “def!ne.fm” collaboration, launched in April of this year, is said to be making ground-breaking strides in driving professional recognition in the FM sector. Visit the collaboration Web site to learn more about the united career map and how it is energizing careers in FM.