FEATURE
FORWARD THINKING We asked Ismena Clout, Chairman of the British Institute of Facilities Management (BIFM), to consider what advances we are likely to see in the FM sector over the coming year, including from Europe’s largest FM institute, the BIFM.
Being asked to share my thoughts on what the remainder of 2013, moving into 2014 holds for the FM industry is no easy task. Not only do we live in such a fast changing world, but the FM sector is ever-evolving, aided by great advances in technology.
Building Information Modelling (BIM) will become more crucial to the FM sector, and is one area that we need to be aware of now to understand and embrace. It will help us all to understand the lifecycle of our buildings and offer areas of improvement. I am sure that many of these advances in technology and BIM will be demonstrated through winners and finalists in the 2013 and 2014 BIFM Awards.
It is vital that the sector continues to work together to raise the profile of FM; it’s time we stopped referring to FM as a ‘hidden’ industry and push for the recognition we deserve at the forefront of the economy. This will involve increased press coverage, government lobbying and greater public relations, which will all help raise the profile of FM and the major impact it has on UK plc. During the longer-than-expected recession, FM has been one sector which has bucked trends and shown growth in both revenue and employment. It is a
vital sector within the British economy and offers fantastic employment opportunities. This must be more widely recognised.
So how, over the next 18 months, will BIFM evolve? As of June 2013, there are proposed merger discussions taking place between BIFM, Asset Skills, the Facilities Management Association (FMA) and the Cleaning and Support Services Association (CSSA). I am sure many of you will be watching developments with keen interest. After consultation, should BIFM members vote in favour of a merger, the sector would have a stronger and more united voice to advance the FM profession.
Elsewhere, ‘Thought Leadership’ will continue to evolve. We recently launched a series of ‘FM Leaders Forums’, where hot topics are debated by experts and the output made available to educate our members and wider FM community. Our ever- popular suite of Good Practice Guides will be refreshed and new titles added. These guides help us educate and share best practice with our members – incidentally, they are always highlighted as a key member benefit. Through our membership surveys and conversations with members we will continually assess and evolve our
06 | TOMORROW’S FM YEARBOOK
membership offering to ensure we are always current, and delivering everything our members need to work efficiently and effectively.
A main focus of activity during 2014 and beyond will be making FM a career of choice, not chance. You will see more engagement not just from BIFM, but from other key stakeholders, in developing a youth programme to entice new, young talent into the profession. This will help tackle the ‘demographic time bomb’ which exists and enable companies to develop strategies for succession planning. We already award Level 2 qualifications aimed at school leavers, which we aim to deliver in schools, but more will be done to target and attract bright, young minds.
In June 2014, my two year tenure as BIFM Chairman will draw to a close and I will have worked closely with my successor to ensure that all the great advances, both within BIFM and the profession, continue under new leadership.
www.bifm.org.uk @BIFM_Ismena
twitter.com/TomorrowsFM
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