MANAGING
Professional Designations
In Facilities Management
Why They Matter
BY ANN BAKER-KEULEMANS
How do you know your Facilities Management( FM) practitioner is a professional, and why does it matter? Accredited FM professionals understand the role of FM in business, how it affects the fourth bottom line, and how it can be used to promote sustainable, eco-friendly business practices, whilst also saving costs. It might sound like a fantasy, but a top-level FM professional can do just that ‒ and more. Luckily for local business, the number of Designated FM Professionals in South Africa is growing, and there’ s fierce competition at the top to be the best in the field.
Professional Designations in Facilities Management The South African Facilities Management Association( SAFMA) offers four accredited Professional Designations. These not only give FM professionals credibility and acknowledge experience, they also provide a measure of accountability, as each designated professional must sign a code of conduct.
These designations range from Practitioner ‒ open to drivers, handymen, specialists and so on ‒ through to Accredited Facilities Professional( AFP). It is important to note that even the highest designation can be achieved through Recognition of Prior Learning and Experience, and not only through a combination of formal degrees and experience, making a Professional Designation accessible to anyone in the FM industry, regardless of age, gender, or race.
Women in Facilities Management FM is a fast-growing, rapidly evolving and dynamic industry, and women are making their mark. But this should come as no surprise: South African women have never been shrinking violets and the FM industry is one where knowledge and experience, rather than traditional gender roles, truly speak for themselves.
Just ask Louise Joynt, the 2017 SAFMA Awards FM of the Year.“ It’ s an absolute privilege to have won
36 APRIL 2017 SA Real Estate Investor www. reimag. co. za