by Shane Henson — October 4, 2013—The British Institute of Facilities Management (BIFM), the professional body for facilities management in the U.K., recently announced that its qualifications have reached into new international markets through a collaboration with a university in Malaysia. The Universiti Teknologi Malaysia’s (UTM) Faculty of Geoinformation and Real Estate has become BIFM’s first Recognized Centre in Malaysia, and therefore the first BIFM center in Southeast Asia. This new Recognized Centre will be delivering the full suite of BIFM Qualifications in Facilities Management (FM) from Level 2 through to Level 7, says BIFM.
International interest in BIFM’s qualifications has been on the rise, and this collaboration with UTM is an instrumental step in the institute’s strategy of building a global facilities management community and driving forward professional standards in facilities management worldwide. BIFM says that over the last year, it has been very active in the Southeast Asia and Middle East regions, expanding its already strong international base across the institute’s core offering. The courses in Malaysia will initially be offered in Kuala Lumpur, and then will be rolled out to other cities.
By becoming a BIFM Recognized Centre, UTM demonstrates its dedication to supporting learners through the provision of leading internationally recognized qualifications in facilities management. The Faculty of Geoinformation and Real Estate will soon start delivery of the Level 2 qualifications, which are suitable for entry-level FM professionals, all the way to Level 7, which is designed as a strategic pathway towards a master’s degree or MBA. This move puts the university and the faculty at the forefront of facilities management professional development in Malaysia with this comprehensive curriculum, asserts BIFM.
The courses will be initially offered in Kuala Lumpur in order to capture the interest of the facilities management industry. Flourishing with development, Kuala Lumpur is the most suitable place for the introduction of the courses. Progressively, we intend to widen the market to other big cities in Malaysia that include Johor Bahru, Penang, Kuantan, Kota Bharu and Ipoh. We are confident that the courses will be a great success in Malaysia.”
