Need more students, interest in facilities management

By deborah Stewart

Recruiting talent is a challenge in many segments of the job market.

Surveys conducted by major recruitment agencies in Canada and the United States indicate that only one per cent of university graduates consider facilities management as a career option. Of that small percentage, even fewer students are aware of the wide array of job opportunities available to them. These statistics are alarming, given that advances in technology, innovation and overall building complexity require talented individuals with a variety of backgrounds, from skilled trades to

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As a result, strategies to actively promote the field of facilities management as a viable, interesting and progressive career choice are necessary. In the meantime, we have to contend with the reality of a limited candidate pool. Therefore, it is critical that public education and individual school districts stand out as an employer of choice in order to maintain a sustainable workforce.

Thankfully, the competitive marketplace is not just local but national and even global. So what resources are available to the public school sector in order to tap into the talent pipeline?

Make a Future, a recruitment initiative, was created to specifically address these kinds of workforce challenges. A partnership between the British Columbia Public School Employers’ Association, the province’s 60 public school districts and the Ministry of Education, the Make a Future website (www. makeafuture.ca) provides information about public K-12 and independent First Nations schools as desirable employment destinations.

“The job board is an integral component in terms of branding the public education sector as a great place to work,” says Andrew Jang, business development consultant for Make a Future. “But Make a Future is more than that. We assist districts with preparing customized job postings to effectively communicate to potential job-seekers not only the key requirements of the variety of positions available, but (also) the unique characteristics of the community and the school district.

“We’re also keenly aware of staying ahead of the curve when it comes to using targeted recruitment strategies to get available vacancies in front of the right potential candidates,” adds Jang.

In addition to its consistent attendance at career fairs and connections with professional associations and post-secondary institutions, Make a Future’s online recruitment marketing tactics have been overall effective.

“The facilities management area has been very active,” says Jang. “We’ve had numerous vacancies for a variety of trades positions, as well as supervisors, managers and directors. The market is so competitive for qualified candidates that it’s important to harness a co-ordinated and targeted approach to ensure we get the word out to both recent graduates and experienced employees that there are great careers available in our public school districts and First Nations schools.”

Jang believes the recruitment challenges for facilities careers will only intensify in the coming years.

“As the demographics of our workforce shift and retirements increase, we need to attract the millennials into these roles,” he says. “So we need to stay at the top of our recruitment game as we plan for succession and compete with other employers to attract these relatively scarce skill sets.” b