The Facilities Management Careers Day – a resounding success

On a surprisingly bright, sunny day in London (until the evening, at least), over 200 facilities managers descended on the South Cloisters building of UCL for the 2^nd BIFM Rising FMs Careers Day. A day of presentations, workshops and information stands ensured that every attendee had something useful to take away.

On first entering the hall, aspiring FMs were greeted with a host of stands from employers, recruitment consultancies and training providers as well as the BIFM themselves and the Rising FMs Special Interest Group. Those who arrived before 12:30 were lucky enough to catch the opening presentations by the Risings committee and a series of short sessions about training and qualifications from the BIFM and a selection of training providers, including Westminster Kingsway, Quadrilect and our very own Training Director, Sue Morris. I wasn’t able to attend the presentations myself, but I’ve heard good things. For anyone like me that wasn’t able to see them, there was a videographer present and the videos of the presentations will be released online, so we’ll still get the chance to see what all the fuss was about!

Throughout the remainder of the afternoon attendees were able to attend a range of workshops run by sponsoring recruitment consultants Maxwell Stephens and Build Recruitment. Topics included job hunting tips, CV surgeries and Interview techniques.

The day concluded with evening drinks and networking. The original plan – to move outside onto the grass – was curtailed by the rain which has become such a common theme this summer, but thankfully there was plenty of space in the main hall for everyone to enjoy a buffet dinner washed down by a few glasses of wine.

Overall, a fantastic day. I’ve heard nothing but good things from attendees and sponsors alike, and it was all topped off by a number of accolades awarded to the Rising FMs group. Thanks must go to the Risings Committee for all their hard work in putting this all together!