• INCREASE MARKETABILITY AND VALUE IN THE JOB MARKET: The job market is ever-changing and developing, and it is essential to stay on trend. Skills are the critical factor that can help you stand out from the pack and make yourself more valuable to employers. Your job market value is determined by various factors, including your skills, experience, and education. Investing in improving your skills is essential to get the best out of said skills. It includes developing new skills, continuously learning and updating your knowledge.

• HAVING MORE OPTIONS FOR YOUR CAREER: Skill sets and jobs are plenty, and as the world is evolving and taking the Job market in its stride, it is essential to know the latest developments. To mitigate this issue, you need to upgrade your skillset. If you want to find a job in a particular domain, it will be difficult if you don’t have the skill set required for that industry. Upgrading your skill sets can help you find new opportunities and make yourself more attractive to employers. There are many ways to upgrade your skills, such as taking short courses or learning new languages. You can improve your skills by taking online courses for your various interests. You can also do a lot of research on what kind of jobs are available in the market and where they are located.

• COMMAND A HIGHER SALARY: The world has changed, and the skills that used to be in demand are no longer so relevant. You can still get a good job if you have a set of skills in demand, but if you want to command a higher salary, you need to upgrade your skillset. People are always in need of higher remuneration. This is because there is a huge gap between the salary of the top earners in a company and the lowest earners. However, this concern is not a big one because you can always upgrade your skills to earn more money. You could get an MBA, learn to code, or speak another language.

• COMPETE IN A GLOBAL ECONOMY: Certification training and skill upgradation bring you up-to-speed with the latest knowledge in your practice area from a global perspective. With this education, you can benchmark yourself as someone who can apply best practice methodologies to any work scenario and drive mission-critical projects to a successful conclusion anywhere in the world.

• ENHANCE YOUR PROFESSIONAL NETWORK: Wherever you choose to study, you are likely to meet a range of individuals from different walks of life and professional backgrounds. While you may not be working in the same industry or function, these people may become valuable business contacts in the future. As you part ways with your classmates, stay in touch with them. You’ll never know what business or career opportunities come up.

Planning to take your career to the next level? Here is a special offer to upgrade your skills at no additional cost.

STEPS TO ENJOY ACCESS TO THIS SPECIAL OFFER

1. Simply visit https://elearning.alphameadtraining.com/

2. Click on *Important Tips for Succeeding as a Facility Manager* in the FM Courses section

3. Register for the course, Learn and Earn a Globally recognised certificate

4. Rate the course and share feedback upon completion.

You can also take advantage of trainings offered at Alpha Mead Training.

We are conducting a Facility Management survey of organizations to gather data on their current FM deployment and assess how we could help solve their FM needs. We would really appreciate you taking a minute to take this short survey. Facility Management Solutions – Google Forms

Eniola is a veteran in the Facility Management industry, and even though her entire experience was gathered in just one organisation, she found the question absurd. She assumed that vision for a career path was a question meant for a young professional just starting out and not someone with her level of experience. Eniola is one of many, that believe vision is less important as you grow older.

Conventional wisdom holds that life is a journey, and we move from infancy to childhood to youth to maturity and eventually old age. Of course, everyone knows it’s not nearly that simple; life is not linear. There are side trips and segues, missteps, and derailments along the path of life, and the same is true of your career. When it comes to your professional life, having a vision is often the difference between going far afield and staying (or getting back) on track. This vision helps you create a plan to develop your professional growth, and that is where Career development comes in.

WHAT IS CAREER DEVELOPMENT?

According to Wikipedia, career development refers to the process an individual undergoes to evolve their occupational status. It is the process of self-knowledge, exploration, and decision-making that shapes your career. It requires successfully navigating your occupational options to choose and train for jobs that suit your personality, skills, and interests.

In a nutshell, it is managing the next steps in your career, setting both short and long-term goals, and getting the training you need to master new skills and abilities, all with the goal of moving up the ladder. It is a vital, yet sometimes overlooked component of our lives. Just like Eniola, people can get caught up in just getting the job done, to the exclusion of casting an eye toward the future.

Not having a plan for your professional growth leaves you at the mercy of circumstances, developing your career helps you chart your own course; a roadmap to you being in the job you want, at the level you want, and with a path that will lead you into the future you want after spending 40-plus hours each week.

BELOW ARE SOME TACTICS YOU CAN DEPLOY TO DEVELOP YOUR CAREER:

Self-reflect

Knowing what you want is the first step to creating a path to get there. You need to set aside some time to reflect on who you are, where you’ve been, and what you ultimately want from your working life. Are you happy with the path you’ve taken so far? Are you in the right industry and the right role?

Set Goals

Setting goals help actualize your plans. You can start with a short-term goal, which is usually a subsection of your long-term goal, so forget about where you see yourself in 5. years for the moment. Where do you see yourself in one year? What skills might you need to move up to the next step of the ladder? Write down your goals and create a timeline for yourself to achieve them.

Acquire Skills

In today’s economy, professionals need to keep their skills up-to-date. The fact that employers are struggling to keep skilled employees, means that professionals who have the right skill sets will find many opportunities in the job market.

However, the practice of actually keeping your skills up-to-date is often easier said than done. Between full-time work and personal responsibilities, many professionals wonder how one finds the time to continue working toward their next career goal. As a result, finding new ways to continue learning on the job is crucial to not just staying up-to-date with current industry trends, but also keeping yourself marketable for future opportunities.

You can take advantage of trainings offered at Alpha Mead Training to grow your facility management skillset and abilities. Over time you’ll gain the skills you need to succeed and get promoted.

Pursue Opportunities

In other words, “go after it!”  When you’re sufficiently skilled for new employment opportunities, ask for a promotion and new responsibilities. If your current role doesn’t have growth potential, start applying for new jobs.

Here are a few ways to look for new career opportunities:

Get active on LinkedIn: you can reach out to recruiters or catch up with people from your network that are hiring.

Use your other social media platforms: Instagram and TikTok are huge these days, and companies you follow might be hiring. 

Talk to human resources about your professional development goals: they might loop you in on your company’s learning and development initiatives, which can help you get your next promotion.

Work on career development planning with your manager: they’ll be excited to hear you’re motivated to grow in your role and might even offer some ideas to help you get ahead.

Career Development is vital. To get yourself started, ask yourself the question “Where do you see your career in the next 5 years” and unlike Eniola, be open-minded to having a vision for your career at whatever stage you are professionally and be intentional in achieving professional growth.

We are conducting a Facility Management survey of organizations to gather data on their current FM deployment and assess how we could help solve their FM needs. We would really appreciate you taking a minute to take this short survey. Facility Management Solutions – Google Forms

Technology has made it possible to create courses on the web in various forms such as presentation, videos, audio, and texts; making it much more accessible anytime and anywhere around the world. This disruptive innovation saves time and eliminates the hurdle of traveling long distances to learn. Virtual classrooms are a part of e-learning, designed to enable participants to interact with their classmates and instructors in real-time using the computer and internet connection.

Widely adopted around the globe as a cost-effective and convenient way of sharing knowledge and skill, E-learning method reachs a wide range of students irrespective of distance and time. Many institutions and corporate organizations still leverage E-Learning even after the reopening of physical classrooms during the pandemic, according to KPMG “in some large organizations, up to 60% of total training costs are attributed solely to traveling costs”. This might just be one of the many reasons why E-learning remains a better option.

Now we know the value that this innovation has brought us, how can we effectively use it to achieve our goals without missing the experience of self-paced learning?

Make adequate preparation:

Like physically learning, learning through the internet also requires preparation. Besides registration and signing up on the e-learning platform, you want to ensure that the right arrangements have been made with regard to the study environment. It is extremely important to avoid distractions while taking a course online or completing an assessment. It is best to position yourself in a quiet space with fewer interruptions from people and even your mobile devices. Another thing to consider is timing, yes! E-learning is self-paced; however, it requires discipline and commitment in terms of planning your time and sticking to your schedule. Remember the goal is to learn within a given time frame. You do not want to spend 3months on a three-week online course that can be completed in two weeks by someone with better time management skills. Verify your network connection is good enough. Make your writing materials available, to note down important points.

Set learning objectives and create a learning schedule:

What are your expectations as you learn? Identify the learning objectives, list them out and ensure all are checked out by the end of the learning sessions. Some sessions can be very exhausting, it is necessary to take breaks in between these long classes to recharge and relax for a moment. Learning for a long period without a break reduces overall productivity. While creating your schedule, be sure to include breaks where necessary schedules are also very helpful when studying multiple online courses. All these should be put into consideration while planning for an eLearning course.

Practice as you learn:

One method of making knowledge relevant is by applying it, making use of the new skills as you go on with other activities, let the impact of the knowledge be felt by you and those around you. This will remind you of the new things you have grasped from your last e-learning session.

Learning can be mind-boggling irrespective of the form, the result of several hours, days, or weeks invested in training should not result in feeling drained but rather empowered. eLearning can be very engaging and satisfying when you make the most of it without forgetting the objectives.
Virtually all industries have created the opportunity for people to learn online, for those in Facilities Management, we have a great eLearning platform that can keep you productive while working remotely or during the holidays. Visit https://elearning.alphameadtraining.com/ to learn facilities management online.

Humanity affects the environment and climate on a global scale and one major environmental issue that has been identified is Global Warming. According to Palmetto, a solar energy solution brand, Global Warming is a gradual, long-term increase in the average temperature of Earth’s atmosphere. It is typically attributed to the over-accumulation of greenhouse gasses (GHGs) such as carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrous oxide (N2O), and methane (CH4) in the Earth’s atmosphere. The excess Greenhouse Gasses can come from a variety of sources, from Burning Fossil Fuels, Deforestation, Agricultural practices, Built environment etc. The energy that emits from these activities play a huge impact on our atmosphere.

Buildings are big contributors to greenhouse gas emissions as all along its lifecycle, from the construction phase, their usage and their demolition. According to architecture2030.com, the built environment generates nearly 50% of C02 emission annually, which has a debilitating effect on the environment. In response to these alarming numbers, green buildings were introduced to minimize energy and water consumption thereby combating climate change while creating a positive impact on the environment.

Therefore, The World Green Building Council defined “a ‘green’ building as a building that, in its design, construction or operation, reduces or eliminates negative impacts, and can create positive impacts on our climate and natural environment. These buildings preserve precious natural resources and improve our quality of life.” In a nutshell, Green Buildings are developed with environmentally responsible and resource-efficient practices to last their life cycles. Although green buildings are gaining popularity in this part of the world, not many people have adopted them. Individuals are still largely unaware of its environmental benefits and how it improves quality of life.

From reduced water and energy consumption, preservation of natural resources, improved quality of life, and reduced operational cost, green buildings are the future and its benefits are enormous. Some of these benefits have been categorised into these three segments; Economic, Social and Environmental.

Environmental: Green buildings essentially reduce carbon emissions that deplete the ozone layer owing to the nature of their designs which allow for more natural gasses and less burning of fossil fuel. Green buildings are also constructed to accommodate environmentally friendly energy generation systems such as Solar energy and Biomass.

Economic: People who live in green buildings enjoy huge cost savings on utility bills because of the reduced energy and water consumption designs. Generally, green buildings are cheaper to operate and maintain due to the eco-friendly materials used in construction compared to traditional buildings. Studies have shown that residents of green buildings also experience a number of health benefits related to improved lightening systems and upgraded air quality.

Social: Green buildings are generally more resilient and are considered a better investment with the proclivity of attracting buyers and tenants, hence creating an increased market value. A study from Harvard University shows that ‘employees in green and well-ventilated office spaces, show a significant increase in cognitive function, crisis response and focused activity level’.

So, how can we make our buildings sustainable and help save our planet?

The concept of “green building” has already gained major attention around the world, with residential and commercial buildings becoming carbon neutral, or even carbon positive. Developers are now moving from the traditional buildings to adopting green buildings concept, undergoing EDGE Green Building Certification trainings to study the best methods to enable them make positive impact towards saving the Earth and driving the right environmental designs with the objective of ensuring best practices in bio-climatic design and creating more resource-efficient buildings.

EDGE Green Building Certification is an innovation of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, that offers in-depth knowledge for building design professionals and others who wish to learn about resource and energy efficiency measures of green buildings. The training gives the opportunity to become an EDGE Expert, offering consultation and support services to builders and owners in a global market. Alpha Mead Training Centre offers the EDGE Expert training by accredited trainers with experience in managing the built environment.

The world is heating up. If we don’t take preventative action now, future generations will be faced with warmer temperatures, as well as higher sea levels, extreme weather events, crop failures, extinctions, and other devastating effects. Check out bit.ly/3OiUfu9 to learn more about the EDGE training offered by Alpha Mead Training Centre or call 0700-25742-6323 to get started.

According to Fortune Business Insights, acompany that offers market studies and consulting services to globalbusinesses. Through its in-depth research, trend analysis, and forecasting. The global facility management market is projected to grow from $1,249.45 billion in 2021 to $1,759.25 billion in 2028 at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 5.0% between 2021-2028, meaning that facilities management is a critical, lucrative, and strategic business discipline. Facilities represent a large part of a company’s asset and yet do not usually receive the required attention that it needs to deliver great value in the built environment. 

A career in Facilities Management is sure to take prospective candidates down different paths depending on their specialization, experience, qualifications, and ability. There are two groups of FM services that apply to the built environment; hard and soft FM services.

Hard facilities management services pertain to the physical structure of the building. Hard FM services include HVAC systems, Lighting, electrical, gas and general maintenance. On the other hand, soft facilities management services are not necessarily required by law and may be added or removed. Typically, soft FM services make a building more pleasant and comfortable for its occupants.  Soft FM services include landscaping, decorating and ground maintenance to mention a few. If you are wondering how to get into the profitable FM industry, the below is for you:

   
Education

Although, success in Facilities Management is not entirely dependent on your academic achievements because skills and technical know-how can be earned solely as a result of experience gained over time, showcasing these capabilities to prospective employers or demand organisations is not always a piece of cake, thus your qualifications and certifications are added advantages that can make you the preferred candidate. Acquiring a certification from a reputable Facility Management Training centre like AMTC gives you the required leverage to excel exceedingly in your facilities management career. Training is available for all levels, helping form the fundamentals of understanding the crux of Facilities Management services.

Qualifications are also useful to experienced Facilities Management practitioners, as they enable candidates to stay up-to-date with technological trends, global policy  and best practices in the industry. 

Get Access to Specialized Facilities Management Qualifications at Alpha Mead Training Centre

The Fundamentals of Facilities Management Practice (FFM) is a two-day, certifiable intensive  training designed for young graduates and newbies looking to start a career in facilities management, and businesses looking to improve their FM employee productivity by skilling them for the challenges of optimizing assets and efficient day-to-day running of their facility. Consisting of a range of mandatory modules, the FFM qualification will provide a basic introduction to the main principles behind Facilities Management and provides candidates the opportunity to demonstrate this knowledge. 

Some Business Benefits Of The Fundamentals of Facilities Management Practice (FFM) include:

• Help participants understand the scope and principles of FM practices and the key areas of operations.
• Introduce participants to the right skills and competencies for a successful career in FM and help businesses improve employee productivity to ensure organizational goals are achieved effectively

So, if you are a young graduate who wants to begin a career in Facilities Management with the right skill and understanding, this training is for you. Those already working in FM related roles  and experience difficulty in linking day-to-day operations with the FM objectives of their employer, this course will be of great help. Register with AMTC to get your FM career started.

From managing the security process in a facility to catering, procuring and building maintenance, FMs are expected to focus on using best business practice to improve efficiency, reduce operating cost while increasing productivity.

These new set of responsibilities have placed a new level of demand on the FM professional; and organizations today are looking for support service advisors rather than FMs. To take on these new challenges; here are 10 core competencies that will put you on the right pedestal.

Communication:

Facilities Managers are primarily the interface between clients and the business process or the business process and top management – in case you work from in-house. The success rate of a FM on any project significantly depends on the effectiveness of his communication skill, which starts from a simple as email communication to as complex as breaking down the business process to help for good decision making. Any FM who lacks this skill should retool immediately because the current market environment is evolving faster and in more dynamic ways than some years back.

Technology:

Technology is steadily becoming more relevant and prominent in the delivery of services to clients. Expectedly, FMs are responding accordingly by aligning their role to IT solutions in performing tasks such as; creating the FM strategic plan, responding to requests, managing property portfolios, searching for information and data verification.

Operations & Maintenance:

With increasing investment and interest in smart, sophisticated buildings, Operation and Maintenance has evolved from mere cut and dry approach of maintaining buildings, systems and equipment. Competence in operations and maintenance today will include deep knowledge and overwhelming use of technology and a penchant rely on the digital eco-system to make operations smooth, simpler and leaner.

To grow your career as an FM, technology and knowledge of it must be top on your competence level.

Leadership and Strategy:

FM is all about People, and the processes that make places comfortable and secure for living working and playing. It is all about coordinating different but interrelated process and systems and people to achieve defined goals. Therefore, FMs that will grow their career in the evolving market will be those who understand strategy; that is, where the organization or client is, where they want to be, how they will get there, what best ways to get there and how to ensure the client or organization gets there.

Doing these will require leadership capabilities that is clear on the business or Real Estate objectives and provide and manages all resources to deliver the desired result.

Finance & Business:

Giving the interdisciplinary nature of the FM profession, it’s expected that FMs develop strong analytical skill that will come in handy in reporting and analyzing financial documents such as; budget, account statements, lease agreements, service contracts etc.

 Emergency Planning & Business Continuity:

The dynamic nature of the business environment implies that organizations would occasionally be exposed to some level of risk. The FM is expected to advise and support the organization in planning its emergency management and business continuity plan. This includes executing simulations or exercise to test the plan.

Real Estate & Property Management:

Facility Management have been proven to account for up to 80 – 90 percent of a Real Estate asset’s lifecycle. This clearly echoes the relevance of FM to Real Estate investors and tenants. Hence, FMs are expected to develop and implement a Real Estate Master plan which will include preparing and allocating service charge budget to tenants amongst others.

Environmental Stewardship & Sustainability:

Climate change, Environmental degradation and Wildlife protection are gaining more prominence in the workplace. FMs need to prove competence in developing and implementing sustainability programs that safeguards the environment while ensuring the functionality of the building systems to ensure they meet required standards.

Want to know more about these competencies and be certified internationally? Learn more about our IFMA (International Facilities Management Association) FMP Certification HERE