Massey University has opened enrolments for Aotearoa’s first entry-level university qualifications in facilities management.
The Diploma in Facilities Management (DipFM) is aimed primarily at school leavers and junior level FM professionals looking to underpin their practice with foundational knowledge of a rapidly growing sector, while the new Graduate Diploma in Facilities Management (GradDipFM) is designed to provide an educational route for facilities management professionals to progress into more senior leadership roles.
The Facilities Management Association of New Zealand (FMANZ) has worked closely with Massey University’s School of Built Environment to progress these fit-for-purpose qualifications, which received academic approval by the Committee on University Academic Programmes (CUAP) last month.
“Having homegrown university qualifications in facilities management is a ground-breaking advancement for the professionalisation of the industry and one we are extremely excited about,” says FMANZ CEO Gillian Wess.
“These Massey University qualifications provide educational pathways for school leavers and practising facilities management professionals who wish to pursue FM as a career of choice and mark the recognition and coming of age of FM in Aotearoa.”
“Our School of Built Environment at Massey University is really pleased to partner with FMANZ to introduce these new courses that will further support the next stage of the maturity of facilities management as a fully recognised profession in New Zealand,” says Prof. Monty Sutrisna, Head of School at Massey University.
Both programmes comprise eight credit courses that can be completed in one year of full-time study, or part-time, via on-campus or distance learning. There is also an option to exit at Certificate/Graduate Certificate level on completion of four papers.
Focused on the 13 core FM competencies, which range from operations and maintenance to environmental stewardship and sustainability, courses include Digital Evolution of Facilities Management; Managing Risk and Operational Sustainability; Construction Health, Safety & Wellbeing; Asset Management; Facilities Management Planning; Construction Law & Contracts and many more papers tailored to the FM industry in Aotearoa.
There is a strong demand for facilities managers in New Zealand, with many employers saying it’s difficult to find the right person for the job.
Around 30 per cent of employers who took part in a survey conducted by FMANZ in 2018 said they have sourced candidates from overseas because they couldn’t find the right person locally.
This is due, in part, to the fact there hasn’t been a clearly defined FM tertiary qualification pathway in New Zealand until now.
In the same survey, 62 per cent of facilities managers said they had been headhunted by another company.
The first intake of students will begin their studies in February 2021.
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