04.03.2024

National Careers Week: Promoting FM as a viable and rewarding profession to younger audiences

By Kelly Dolphin, People and Culture Director at SBFM

The UK labour market finds itself lagging behind pre-pandemic employment rates for 16–64-year-olds. The latest UK Labour Market Overview report from July 2023 revealed that employment rates are low and job vacancies are estimated to be 232,000 higher than early 2020.

Furthermore, recent data from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) found that there was an increase in the number of young people who were aged 16 to 24 years and not in education, employment or training (NEET) in October to December 2023, with the total currently estimated to be 851,000, up from 831,000 in October to December 2022. In fact, the increase in the number of young people who were NEET was driven by young men, among which there was an increase of 37,000 on the year to 467,000.

A generation of young people left adrift without education, training, or employment is not just a statistic; it's a societal failure. We cannot turn a blind eye to the countless talents wasting away, potential unrealised, and dreams lost. But amidst this crisis, there's an opportunity for businesses to step up and show faith in those who society has often overlooked. Ex-offenders, care leavers, and those who didn't fit the traditional mould who have left with nowhere to go but desperate for a chance to prove their worth.

National Careers Week highlights the growing importance of educating young individuals towards meaningful career paths, including the often-overlooked field of facilities management (FM). Rather than leaving career choices to chance, it's essential to actively promote FM as a viable and rewarding profession from an early age.

The industry offers a vast array of opportunities such as frontline services, finance, HR, and marketing, providing ample room for advancement and rapid career growth. By showcasing the diverse facets of FM and targeting young audiences, we want to shift perceptions and encourage more individuals to consider FM not just as a job but as a fulfilling career path.

Initiatives such as open days, where children can immerse themselves in the dynamic environment of an FM office, serve as invaluable tools in nurturing the next generation of FM professionals and fostering a greater appreciation for the industry.

Our Evolve initiative will help address the ONS statistics and is designed to plug the current labour shortages. It gives frontline workers from disadvantaged backgrounds the opportunity for career progression out of the cleaning industry, expanding the workforce and diversifying the talent pool. We have an Evolve committee, which is open for everyone to join at all levels of the organisation.

Member organisations are called Impact Partners, as they can offer the career progression to those first hired as cleaning operatives. It’s an in-depth scheme that provides support for people with different needs.

Ex-offenders, care leavers et al possess skills, resilience, determination, and untapped potential waiting to be unleashed. Businesses must see beyond the surface and recognise the value these individuals bring. By understanding everyone’s story and providing opportunities, we can all collectively transform lives but also contribute to building a stronger, more inclusive society. National Careers Week is the ideal time for us to reflect upon that.

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