IFMA Foundation and CA Community Colleges Named Top 10 Awardee California Economic Summit Partnership for Industry and Education (PIE)
HOUSTON, TEXAS, USA – (December 20, 2019) – The International Facility Management Association (IFMA) Foundation and California Community Colleges was recently named a Top 10 California Economic Summit Partnership for Industry and Education (PIE) awardee. The California Economic Summit PIE Contest recognizes and supports the on-the ground efforts that focus on raising incomes and growing quality jobs for Californians. The PIE contest was initiated to promote innovation by industry and educators working together to meet regional and state workforce needs and create innovative solutions. The California Economic Summit has been working on California’s workforce preparedness problem for the past eight years. The challenge of having enough skilled workers for 21st-century jobs was identified on day one of the inaugural summit in 2012 as something that must improve in order to protect the state’s global economic standing.
“We are proud of our partnership with the California Community Colleges and our industry partners Sodexo, ABM, Google, FM:Systems and A&A Maintenance. Together we are making a difference and filling the much looming talent gap in the field of Facility Management. The IFMA Foundation Global Workforce Initiative (GWI) Facility Management Talent Pipeline programs address the triple bottom line values of Economy, Equity, and Environment and was created based on research that identified an annual industry gap of approximately 6,000 workers in California,“ said Joe Archie, IFMA Foundation Chair. “This recognition shows how industry and education working together can not only solve problems but create a career pathway for a profession that requires life-long learning as buildings become smarter and sustainability more prevalent.”
“The Facility Management Talent Pipeline programs offered through our community colleges uniquely targets students enrolled in the business programs. It’s an ideal population, with aligned skills, large enrollments and diverse backgrounds,” said James Morante, Statewide Director of Energy, Construction & Utilities for California’s Community Colleges. “The program has shown success at Chaffey College, College of San Mateo and West Los Angeles College in finding their graduates facility management related employment, including jobs at national firms.
The interest in replicating and scaling has been overwhelming. It serves as a gold standard in industry engagement and integrating relevant business needs into the classroom.”
The first Facility Management program was launched at Chaffey College in 2017 and, in just two years, the students won the 2019 international IFMA Student Chapter of the Year award. “We are very proud of our facility management students and our partnership with the IFMA Foundation” said Dr. Henry Shannon, Chaffey College President. “This program is not only providing a viable career pathway but also improving economic growth in our communities.”
Working with industry partners, the Facility Management Global Workforce Initiative is providing jobs for new entrees and incumbent workers through a Contract Education program with San Mateo County Community College District Corporate Training Solutions (CCCE). “We at Google feel the IFMA Foundation and CCCE Facility Management contract education and training program is a great example of how a leading company in California can support Facility Management skills development internally to provide a career pathway for greater prosperity for our employees which can be applied to other businesses” commented Lynn Baez, Head of Facilities at Google.
About the IFMA Foundation
Established in 1990 as a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation and separate entity from the International Facility Management Association (IFMA), the IFMA Foundation works for the public good to promote priority research and educational opportunities for the advancement of facility management. The IFMA Foundation is supported by the generosity of the FM community including IFMA members, chapters, councils, corporate sponsors and private contributors who share the belief that education and research improve the FM profession. To learn more about the IFMA Foundation, visit foundation.ifma.org.
About IFMA
IFMA is the world’s largest and most widely recognized international association for facility management professionals, supporting 24,000 members in more than 100 countries. This diverse membership participates in focused component groups equipped to address their unique situations by region (136 chapters), industry (16 councils) and areas of interest (six communities). Together they manage more than 78 billion square feet of property and annually purchase more than US$526 billion in products and services. Formed in 1980, IFMA certifies professionals in facility management; conducts research; provides educational programs, content and resources; and produces World Workplace, the world’s largest series of facility management conferences and expositions. To join and follow IFMA’s social media outlets online, visit the association’s LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Flickr pages. For more information, visit the IFMA press room or www.ifma.org.
