Fast tracking FM apprenticeships
June 1st 2009 A new apprenticeship is being fast-tracked that will enable thousands of young people to be taken on in facilities management (FM).
Around 10 major FM companies including Interserve, MITIE, Carillion and OCS have called for the new qualification following the government’s recent push on apprenticeships fronted by Sir Alan Sugar.
It comes as Apprenticeships Minister Lord Young this week announced a further £7 million to fund more apprentices during the downturn.
Asset Skills, is now working to ensure the demand is met. “Facilities management is one of the fastest growing, most essential yet least known sectors in the UK,” says Steven Proudfoot, UK operations director at Asset Skills and chair of industry group Action FM.
“More and more businesses are recognising the benefits of effective facilities management including outsourcing their building maintenance, catering, security and cleaning to FM companies.
“FM is also playing an important role in helping operate services in big public sector organisations such as schools and hospitals.”
The new FM apprenticeship is one of the first vocational qualifications to include managing sustainability.
"Facilities management employs hundreds of thousands of people in the UK and is not as exposed as other sectors to the recession,” says Helen Jeffery, national skills manager at Interserve.
“At this time in particular, it is crucial that such an important industry and the people that work within it can benefit from a formal facilities management apprenticeship.
“We wholeheartedly support Asset Skills in their work with this qualification and are investing heavily to develop our offering for all of our apprentices."
The Government’s revival of apprenticeships has seen numbers treble in the last 10 years.
For all industries the figure at present is 225,000. More articles from Cleaning Matters: | 
