A journey to self-fulfilment

News

When we feel that we make a difference, we're happy. Not just IWFM or the workplace and facilities management profession, but everyone. After all, isn’t that why many of us chose this profession in the first place, or choose to stay? That's why we're taking steps to enable our members, the wider profession and the next generation to pursue fulfilling careers.

But what exactly are we doing to attract that new generation to the profession? 

There are a variety of tools we're introducing, but most prominently our Career of Choice programme, which includes a content hub. This hub, developed in collaboration with Class of Your Own (COYO), is the new driving force behind our engagement with budding workplace and facilities management professionals, starting back at the start by inspiring 11 to 14-year-olds. 

Our Career of Choice initiative elaborates on the work we did for World FM Day this year, which saw IWFM volunteers visit schools to give years seven to nine a feel for what it is to be a facilities manager, by looking at and applying sustainability principles to their school.

Not only does our new initiative help to bring the next generation along with us, but it also gives us an opportunity to take stock of the difference we make and to communicate that to our profession’s future people. As part of the initiative, we are calling on volunteers to commit to making a difference in our profession.

How can you help? By volunteering to visit schools, to deliver not only a presentation about the profession, but also to lead an activity day through the lens of sustainability – so students can see what it’s all about and improve their learning environment. We have a volunteer pack to help facilitate this.

Collaborating with our rich community of volunteers, who have been doing fantastic work with the Institute since its conception, we now have a clear path to make workplace and facilities management a career of choice for the next generation, which will see the skills gap we are currently facing – as reflected again in this year’s Market Outlook report – reduce, if not disappear entirely.

We will continue to develop our programme and the accompanying hub, adding more resources for students, parents, teachers and volunteers. We also hope to look at extending the learning to other age groups in the future.

Will you join us on our journey? Will you commit to an even more fulfilling career? 

Visit www.iwfm.org.uk/career-of-choice to discover more and complete our form to request your volunteer pack.