New plate heat exchanger range
Alfa Laval used the recent EcoBuild exhibition to introduce a new series of Plate Heat Exchangers (PHEs) developed specifically for high theta duties in the HVAC sector.
The new Alfa Laval T-Series encompasses three new PHEs ; the TL6B, T5B and TL3B offering a liquid flow capacity of 20 kg/second, 13 kg/second and 4 kg/ second respectively.. All of the exchangers have a maximum design temperature of 150 0C. The units are extremely compact - the TL3B is just 73 centimetres long, the T5B 78 centimetres and the TL6B 1.3 metres - and therefore enable both installation and service space requirements to be kept to a minimum. On both TL units the tightening bolts are located on the side to facilitate service.
Applications
The tall, narrow design of the TL6B and its efficient plate pattern make it particularly suitable for duties with long thermal length – also known as “high-theta” duties. The TL6B’s ability to achieve close temperature approaches and to increase heat recovery suits it to applications requiring excellent energy efficiency such as district-cooling interchanger, district-heating substation or cooling/heating pressure breaker applications.
Equally, the compact size and high thermal efficiency of the T5B makes it an ideal and cost competitive solution for most HVAC applications but especially for use in domestic hot water systems, general heating and district-heating substations. The compact and efficient TL3B allows users to optimize domestic hot water or heating systems for energy efficiency – even when the flow is limited. Examples include domestic hot water, district-heating substations and heat recovery from swimming pools.
Depending upon the liquids involved, plates and nozzles can be made of either stainless steel or titanium.
More information from Alfa Laval Ltd, Peter Rose, Marketing Manager, Tel: 01276 413632 Fax: 01276 413524, E-mail: general.uk@alfalaval.com

Marshalls Street Furniture Launch Rhino Lift Assist Bollards
Marshalls Street Furniture has launched a new range of Rhino Lift Assist Telescopic Bollards. Featuring a stainless steel gas spring mechanism, the operating weight of the bollard is reduced by around 70%, minimising strain when lifting. This enables the specification of heavy duty posts of significant stature, without compromising on performance and ease of use.
For more information on the Lift Assist bollards, a video demonstration is now live on Marshalls TV, at www.marshalls.co.uk/select or www.marshalls.co.uk/streetfurniture
The new range is also featured in the 2009 Rhino Perimeter Protection brochure. Signalling a new, contemporary look for the Rhino brand, the brochure has an updated, easy to use layout, technical drawings and useful product comparison tables. For more information, you can now download the new perimeter protection brochure at www.marshalls.co.uk/streetfurniture or call 0870 990 7504

Repeat business for Sarnafil as BAA specifies its roofing system for Stansted extension
Sarnafil has successfully completed its contribution to Stansted Airport’s recent baggage and security area extension.
Having established a fruitful working relationship with BAA over several years, spanning similar projects at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted, Sarnafil’s single ply roofing system again became the natural choice for the Essex airport’s latest £50million extension.
Approximately 9,000m sq of Sarnafil’s S327-15EL Light Grey polyester reinforced roofing membrane was mechanically fastened to the extension’s diagrid roof structure using the Sarnafast fixing system.
Also featuring a Plannja profiled metal deck, SarnaVap 1000E polyethylene vapour control layer and Kingspan Thermaroof TR26 polyisocyanurate insulation, the roof structure was assembled off-site by total external envelope package provider Prater, another long-standing Sarnafil collaborator.
As the UK’s third busiest airport, Stansted sees over 21million passengers travel through it each year and hence Sarnafil’s John Vernon, the regional sales manager responsible for this project, believes that the benefits the Sarnafil system and off-site manufacturing bring to a site such as this are manifold.
“The speed and ease in which the Sarnafil system can be installed together with Prater’s ability to assemble the 22-diagrids that formed the roof off-site minimised disruption and maximised access for other trades,” he comments. “On its completion, the roof structure was simply hoisted into position using a 450-tonne crane, facilitating the overall speed and relative simplicity of the project for main contractor Mace.”
Indeed, the strengths the Sarnafil system brings as well as its established working relationships with contractors and client alike proved pivotal in architect Pascal + Watson Limited’s decision to specify its single ply membrane.
“With the Sarnafil roofs on the original terminal and other extensions still going strong, using its single ply membrane in the latest extension was a natural choice,” says Pascal + Watson’s Tyrone Burton. “We were also encouraged by the specification and design support Sarnafil offers, together with its strong relationship with envelope contractor Prater.”
Likewise, Ray Bunn, operations manager for Prater, agrees that tried and tested techniques and solid working relationships were key to its winning tender: “Our ability to pre-assemble the main roof structure close to the site dramatically reduced health and safety issues as well as installation time. Having carried out similar ‘off-site’ projects many times before with both BAA and Sarnafil, we were successfully able to demonstrate our expertise in this area to BAA at pre-contract stage.”
John says he’s also heartened by the repeat business client BAA continues to bring. “BAA’s continued use of the Sarnafil system across its airports is proof positive of our product’s enduring performance and popularity as well as the high regard in which our team’s expertise and support is held,” he continues.
“It’s worth remembering that our now head of technical, Phil Jarratt, first convinced BAA of the benefits of Sarnafil back in the 1980s as a newly recruited technical advisor when single ply was still considered a radical new product, so we as a company take particular pride in our solid relationship with BAA. Long may it continue.”

Pressalit Care solutions provide flexibility in Worcestershire’s access improvement
Accessible bathroom solutions from Pressalit Care have been chosen for a major development initiative by Worcestershire County Council. In its Access Initiative Programme which includes the installation of specialist BMA or hygiene rooms in many of its schools and colleges, the Council is currently investing £1 million a year over a three year period.
So far over 30 schools and colleges in the county are having new BMA rooms installed, helping to achieve the Council’s vision of making all of its mainstream schools fully accessible to those students with special needs, and improving choice for parents.
One such school is Astwood Bank First School, near Redditch. Headteacher, Chris Rider says, “This is a superb facility that we are all so proud of. The flexibility of the equipment within the bathroom makes it so easy to use, and can be adapted for the varying needs of our pupils and their carers.”
Flexibility in the design of a facility such as this is paramount, to cater for the individual needs, and ages, of the students, as well as access for their carers as and when required.
Pressalit Care has therefore been working closely with Worcestershire County Council sharing its experience going back over thirty years in the design of accessible facilities.
“No two students have the same requirements,” explains Martin Foyle, senior commercial director at Pressalit Care. “It is therefore important that the rooms are designed not only to maximise the available space, but to make mobility for both the students and their carers as comfortable and discreet as possible.”
The facilities therefore all meet the requirements of BS8300:2009 – ‘Design of buildings and their approaches to meet the needs of disabled people’, and include products from the Pressalit Care range including the adjustable height nursing bench, adjustable height basin, shower and hinged arm supports.
Richard Pill, of Worcestershire County Council property services, says,
“By using a range of products from Pressalit Care we are able to achieve a consistent approach in our hygiene rooms. It is important to us to be installing well designed products that perform well, and which will require minimum maintenance standing the test of time.”
Contact: Pressalit Care, Tel: 0844 8806950, uksales@pressalitcare.com

Tyco Electronics AMP Nteconnect XG network cabling system forms heart of major infrastructure project at the London headquarters of Sony Music
A network cabling system supplied by the AMP NETCONNECT Business Unit of Tyco Electronics is at the heart of a major infrastructure project at the London headquarters of Sony Music.
The AMP NETCONNECT XG cabling system forms part of a large-scale project managed and installed by infrastructure specialists Matrix IP, which also encompasses areas such as VoIP, access control, CCTV, video conferencing, wireless networking, IPTV, and uninterruptible power supplies.
Sony Music Entertainment UK is part of one of the largest music and entertainment companies in the world. It has a broad array of local artists and international superstars, as well as a vast catalogue comprising some of the most important recordings in history. Following a reorganisation which involved the integration of the Columbia, RCA and Epic labels among others, the company has moved from its previous offices in Fulham and Hammersmith, respectively, into new headquarters just off Kensington High Street in London.
Although the Derry Street building, in which Sony Music now occupies two floors out of six, had previously been used for office accommodation, by the time that Sony took it over it resembled a multi-storey car park, with concrete walls, floors and pillars. The challenge for Sony Music was to transform it into an environment that could not only house their staff and operations, but could also act as a showcase for the company and its multimedia activities.
This media-oriented aspect of Sony's operations posed particular challenges to the infrastructure development and specifically the cabling system. Activities run by the 500-plus staff including managing artists' web sites, mobile ring-tone downloads and streamed live multi-casting TV channels. Each of the 550 desks in the headquarters has the capability for an IPTV solution screen in addition to the normal voice and data access, while additional complexity is provided by IT and multi-media functions in 50 meeting rooms, some with video conferencing enabled, along with multi-screen projection TV in the reception areas.
The task of finding a system which could address these challenges was handed to Peter Elgar, IT Infrastructure Manager of Sony Music Entertainment UK. From previous experience he knew that there were very few organisations which could provide expertise in both standard cabling hardware and the needs of the video/multimedia operations, and after evaluating the offerings from six different suppliers the decision was taken to appoint BT iNet as the main supplier.
BT iNet uses Matrix IP as their main source of cabling expertise among other disciplines, and it was Matrix IP that recommended the use of an AMP NETCONNECT network cabling solution. One of the key elements in favour of the AMP NETCONNECT network cabling system was the fact that they could offer a Category 7 F/FTP (foil-screened twisted pair) solution capable of supporting 10 Gigabit Ethernet applications equivalent in performance to the Category 7 shielded system that Sony had originally looked at but discarded on cost grounds. When used in conjunction with the Cisco switching system, this delivers 1 Gbit Ethernet as well as PoE (power over Ethernet) links to the multiple ports on each desk.
Another point in favour of the AMP NETCONNECT network cabling equipment was the availability of Hi-D cabling racks with angled patch panels that were easy to install and configure using colour-coded AMP patch leads. These were installed in the main communications rooms containing 18 HP racks, 4 AMP Hi-D cabling racks with 48 Category 6A shielded ports per rack and 14 Hi-D racks in seven fibre attached patch rooms. In total, the system provides over 2700 outlets, and is linked to a Cisco 20 Gbit backbone network housing over 50 local servers and providing WAN access to other Sony operations in Europe, the USA and Asia.
The system was installed in the first quarter of 2008, and has performed faultlessly ever since. 'Due to the detailed project management on both sides and the kit chosen, this was the smoothest building move I've been involved with', says Peter Elgar, paying tribute to the Matrix IP organisation and the AMP NETCONNECT infrastructure hardware: 'It was completed on time and within budget, and the installation team performed over and above the call of duty.'
For further information please contact: Dave Richens, Tyco Electronics UK Ltd. Tel: +44 (0) 208 420 8130, email: dave.richens@tycoelectronics.com, www.ampnetconnect.co.uk, www.tycoelectronics.com

Hochiki Fire Safety upgrade for Truro’s law courts
Hochiki fire detection equipment has been installed in Truro Combined Courts in Cornwall as part of a major upgrading of the award winning building’s emergency lighting and fire detection and alarm installations. The installation work was carried out at night, as the courts are in constant daytime use, and Hochiki equipment was selected both for its aesthetic appeal and renowned absence of false alarms that was deemed essential due to the security-conscious use of the building.
In total, Hochiki supplied around 300 of its open-protocol ESP – Enhanced System Protocol – analogue addressable sensing and sounding devices. This included photoelectric smoke sensors that feature the company’s unique “Flat Response” high performance chamber technology, which optimises the device’s sensitivity to both smouldering and flaming fires. Other Hochiki devices chosen for the Courts included sounders and sounder beacons, together with Hochiki’s FIRElink high-sensitivity smoke detection equipment in three areas of the building where it was felt that this would minimise any detrimental visual impact on the interior.
The installation was designed by W S Atkins and the equipment was supplied by SPEL, a division of Orbic Electronics. It was installed by building engineering services company, Harrow-based Lorne Stewart. Commenting on the decision to select Hochiki equipment, SPEL’s Southwest Regional Manager, Paul Herve-Brazier says: “Resistance to false alarms was absolutely critical. Hochiki ESP technology provides what is termed full digital transmission that ensures exceptionally secure signalling. It incorporates Checksum error checking to safeguard the integrity of the data and ensure reliably correct communication, and has high immunity from electrical noise, so there are no false alarms due to corruption.”
He continues: “Hochiki ESP sensors also incorporate a unique suite of false alarm management tools called ARM, which stands for Alarm Reduction Management. ARM incorporates drift compensation technology that, when activated by the fire detection and alarm control panel, automatically recalibrates every Hochiki sensor every 24 hours.”
Hochiki Europe (UK) is headquartered in Gillingham, Kent, and has been active in the fire safety market since 1993. It is a subsidiary of the Tokyo-based Hochiki Corporation that installed Japan’s first public fire alarm in 1920 and developed the world’s first addressable manual call point. Today, it is an international business that manufactures more than five million detectors every year, and has the largest fire test laboratory in the world.
Further information is available by telephone on +44 (0)1634 266 566, or via email at news@hochikieurope.com. The company’s website is at www.hochikieurope.com.

Sarnafil and contractors reunited for phase two of Excel London extension
Sarnafil is celebrating the repeat specification of its single ply roofing system in the second phase of the extension to the ExCeL London exhibition and conference centre in London’s Docklands.
With phase one completed in partnership with envelope contractor Hathaway and main contractor Sir Robert McAlpine in 2000, the second phase of this prestigious project features a 46,800sq m Sarnafil roof finished predominately in S327-15EL Light Grey.
The Hathaway team is currently on site and on course for the roof’s scheduled completion in September 2009. Commercial director Glen Race says that the team is successfully overcoming the construction’s challenges thanks to the established working relationship between the three companies – a recipe for success that has seen them reunited for phase two.
“ExCeL is flanked by the docks, high electricity pylons and in the flight path of London City Airport, not to mention remaining a busy working exhibition and conference centre throughout, so this project presents a number of logistical challenges,” Glen reveals. “We are confident, however, that the tried and tested teamwork between contractors and manufacturer will enable us to meet these challenges and ensure the project mirrors the success of phase one for a timely and satisfactory completion.”
Situated on a 100-acre site beside east London’s Royal Victoria Dock, ExCeL London’s expansion will increase the centre’s exhibition space by 50 per cent to almost 100,000sq m, cementing its status as London’s international events venue. Featuring a 5,000-seated auditorium and further conference, meeting and dining facilities, the extension will officially open in spring 2010.

Draka cable chosen for Leicester’s new leisure experience
Draka cable has been chosen for the new Highcross Leicester leisure and retail destination, the largest redevelopment the city has ever seen, which opened its doors in last September. 70,000 metres of the company’s Firetufplus® 0HLS® halogen-free circuit integrity alarm cable was installed by Electract Limited for the fully-networked Protec fire detection and alarm system and the public address system that covers all of the centre’s public areas.
The development links directly to the adjacent Shires shopping centre, which has also been re-branded “Highcross”, and adds 110,000 square metres of retail space to Leicester, making it equal in size to the internationally renowned Bullring in Birmingham. It has been described as a development that will “completely reinvent Leicester and change the way you feel about the city”. It incorporates three major department stores – Debenhams, House of Fraser and John Lewis – and a spectacular covered mall with 120 leading-brand stores.
125,000 visitors experienced the venue’s opening day, highlighting the fire safety challenges faced by every leisure and retail venue. Understandably, visitors are focused on enjoying all that Highcross has to offer, rather than how safe they would be in an emergency. So system reliability was one of Highcross management’s primary concerns to ensure that, in the event of a fire, evacuation could be achieved safety, swiftly and without causing the public unnecessary additional anxiety.
To ensure this, the decision was taken to specify the Draka cable because of its proven ability to maintain circuit integrity when exposed to fire, and continue to provide the essential power to the fire detection and public address systems. Firetufplus meets the Enhanced category of BS 5839-1:2002+A2:2008 [Fire detection and fire alarm systems for buildings. Code of practice for system design, installation, commissioning and maintenance], and is manufactured to BS 7629-1:1997 [Specification for 300/500 V fire resistant electric cables having low emission of smoke and corrosive gases when affected by fire. Multicore cables].
Equally important, like all Draka cables, Firetufplus is tested and third-party approved by LPCB [Loss Prevention Certification Board] and BASEC [British Approvals Service for Cables]. These third-party approvals provide the installation contractor and Highcross’ management with a truly meaningful guarantee that the Firetufplus cable supplied by Draka is to the standard claimed for it. It provides 60 minutes fire and mechanical protection, followed by 60 minutes of fire, mechanical impact and water protection.
From the contractor’s viewpoint, Firetufplus also offered several on-site benefits, as it retains the ease of installation associated with a pliable cable. These include: lower termination costs; availability in long lengths; and twisted core construction to improve signal clarity. Its selection also called for no special tools or training.
Full details on Firetufplus and other Draka cables are available by telephone on +44 (0)1332 345431, and via email at firetuf@draka.com. The company’s website is at www.drakauk.com.

Hygiene stores UK cooks up further contract win
Birmingham-based Hygiene Stores UK, the specialist division of Hygiene Group supplying cleaning and janitorial equipment, has continued its impressive growth with a further new contract win.
Hygiene Stores is providing a range of products to David Wood Baking Ltd, a leading supplier of frozen savoury and other baked products to the food service, wholesale and retail sectors.
The contract, initially worth more than £35,000 per year, covers two sites – Sheerness in Kent, and Peter Hunt’s Bakery Ltd at Bolton in Lancashire, with the company’s new facility in Birmingham also likely to take products from Hygiene Stores when it becomes operational later this year.
Products being supplied include cleaning utensils and materials and PPE, with Hygiene Stores fitting product dispensers on-site as part of the deal.
Michael Appleton, Purchasing Manager at David Wood Baking Ltd, commented: “We were highly impressed by Hygiene Store’s product range and national reach, and are confident they will be able to meet our current and future needs at our three production facilities.”
Simon Peasgood, Business Development Manager for Hygiene Stores UK, added: “David Wood Baking is a fast-growing company with a commitment to quality in every aspects of its operations, not least cleaning and hygiene, and we are delighted to have added them to our client list.”
For further information visit www.hygiene.co.uk.

Outstanding Safety Success for Farrer
Environmental asset management specialist, Farrer is delighted to announce an excellent health and safety record with no reportable accidents having occurred in the last two years. During this time employees have worked 1,191,807 hours!
Health and Safety is an absolute priority within Farrer with employees undertaking ongoing, high quality training. It is this training, teamed with employee diligence, which has been highlighted as the reason for the company’s excellent record.
Graham White, Farrer QHS&E Manager said “As a company we consistently strive to perform at the highest standards. Ongoing training is essential and our excellent record is testament to the success of our training programme. The nature of our work often poses above average levels of danger to employees. Our excellent record demonstrates our professionalism and commitment to excellence in all areas.”
Regular QHS&E Workshops are undertaken with the first for 2009 taking place in March at Farrer’s new premises in Paisley. Workshops are well attended and considered to be a success by all involved.
More information: Donna Bedford, PR Manager, T: 08700 55 20 40,
E: d.bedford@fantasticmedia.co.uk

Advanced roofing scoops NFRC award for Sarnavert Living Roofs
Advanced Roofing’s installation of a series of Sarnafil SarnaVert living roofs on a bold new University of Sheffield building has taken top honours at the recent National Federation of Roofing Contractors (NFRC) Awards.
Providing facilities for three of the university’s Faculty of Arts & Humanities departments, Jessop West incorporates three biodiverse living roofs and innovative use of energy-efficient natural light and ventilation with striking design in the form of a multi-coloured glass and stainless steel façade. As such, the £21.2million development designed by architect Sauerbruch Hutton and associate architect RMJM is an exemplar of sustainable building.
Advanced Roofing’s Gordon Harris credits the company winning the coveted Green Roof accolade at the NFRC Excellence in Roofing Awards 2009 with his team’s swift and successful installation of the SarnaVert system in spite of several practical challenges.
As he explains: “The dissimilar construction materials and irregular shape of the three green roofs, not to mention their being located on different levels, are just a few of the challenges faced by Advanced Roofing during construction. The roof is also punctuated with access, rooflight and plant items, so we were also subject to strict time constraints to allow other trades onto the roof to fit these services after completing our installation.”
Crucially, Gordon says that by using the SarnaVert system the team was able to meet the client’s internal waterproofing requirements. “The university needed the building to be watertight at an early stage to progress the internal works,” he adds. “Sarnafil’s product allowed us to deal with the tricky waterproof detailing on the roof and make the building watertight quickly and effectively.”
Communication was fundamental to the project’s successful completion. “We worked closely with main contractor Bowmer & Kirkland to develop a system of work that would allow the early waterproofing. This meant we could then apply the living element of the roof just prior to project completion to prevent possible site damage.
The city of Sheffield is also something of a pioneer in the implementation of living roofs – with the university playing a lead role in this – and so Advanced Roofing worked with the university direct to ensure the final specification of the roofs’ plant matter met its requirements. “The university has its own Green Roof Centre research group to promote the uptake of green roofs, so they were closely involved in the selection of growing mediums and plant material used on the roof.”
As a result, Gordon says that the building is reaping the benefits that biodiverse roofs bring. “Both the university and the city are trailblazers for biodiversity and these roofs mean that the Jessop West building is working with nature and encouraging local flora and fauna. We were delighted to be involved in such a great project – to be rewarded with an NFRC Award is the icing on the cake.”

How’s your building ambience?
The hunt is on for buildings that are designed for effective cleaning – both from a cost and user comfort perspective.
The 2009/2010 Building Cleanability Awards will be the eighth scheme promoted by the cleaning industry Livery Company – The Worshipful Company of Environmental Cleaners, supported, as Awards Patron, by The British Cleaning Council.
This year sees the active involvement of the building design professions with both The Royal Institute of British Architects and The Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists helping promote the Awards to their architect and designer members.
Associate Sponsors so far identified include The British Institute of Cleaning Science, Dougland Support Services, ISS UK, Mayflower Washroom Solutions and Selden Research.
The 2009/2010 Building Cleanability Awards are open to any building of any age with an internal area in excess of 5,000 square metres. There are ten separate entry categories covering all types of buildings namely – public, commercial, education, transport, hospitality, heritage, retail, health, leisure and sport.
Short listed entries from each category will receive a detailed assessment visit and will be featured at the Awards Presentation Ceremony and on the Awards website, to help promote best practice in building design relative to building cleanability.
This latest scheme, covering the whole of the UK, as well as Southern Ireland, will accept entries through until the end of December 2009 and, following the assessment reviews and visits, will culminate with a prestigious Presentation Ceremony in London’s famous Guildhall on Monday 12th July 2010.
Any company or organisation, architect, designer, constructor, occupier, building owner, cleaning contractor or management company can enter one or more buildings – so now is the time to put your building on the ‘cleanability’ map, since building cleanability is a key cornerstone of sustainable building management.
Further information is available on the Awards www.cleanabilityawards.co.uk or via email: information@cleanabilityawards.co.uk. Entries can be submitted on-line.

OCS Recognised in Sunday Times Deloitte top track 100 companies
International facilities services group OCS has again been listed in the Sunday Times Deloitte Top Track 100 privately owned businesses, raising its ranking in the league by 4 places despite the severe economic climate.
Chris Cracknell said, “At OCS being a family business is about putting our responsibilities to our customers, our staff across the globe and the communities where we work into practice. Our strong commitment to skills training is demonstrated by our being one of the first to sign up to the Skills Pledge framework to ensure our employees are give the best opportunities to maximise their potential and progress their career. Our recent triple accreditation with BSI (British Standards) for quality (ISO 9001:2000), environment (ISO 14001:2004) and Health and Safety (BS OHSAS 18001: cleaning only), is a statement to the calibre and capabilities of our staff and the importance we place on supporting the well-being of our people and the mitigation of climate change. “
Stuart Counsell, head of the private companies programme, Deloitte, the title sponsor of the league programme, commented, “There is no doubt that many businesses are facing tough, uncertain times. But the companies on this list have the potential to help provide the jobs and stability which the economy needs, as the country recovers from the recession.”*
Ranked at 75 in the top 100 of Britain’s biggest private companies, based on turnover, OCS employs 63,000 people worldwide and provides a comprehensive range of services including catering, cleaning, hygiene services, security, horticulture, pest control and waste management.
The family-owned business started trading over one hundred years ago and, now in the fourth generation of family ownership, today OCS lies at the forefront of its sector harnessing advanced technologies and management systems to deliver quality, performance and accountability to its customers. In almost every sector businesses rely on OCS for a wide range of property support services from cleaning to security and catering. Many of these services are closely linked and the company prides itself on its provision of an integrated delivery solution under one point of management.
For more information please contact: Jackie Bennett Shaw, Tel: 01524 595453, Email: jackiebennettshaw@ocs.co.uk, www.ocs.co.uk

The qualifications set to strengthen facilities management
Work to ensure facilities management (FM) has a highly skilled workforce with the know how to deal with a fast changing industry is underway through the development of new qualifications.
As well as fast tracking an Apprenticeship in response to employer demand, Asset Skills is also seeking to make available the new raft of vocational awards. The work builds on the 2008 publication of the first ever National Occupational Standards for FM which set out the duties and responsibilities expected of someone working in the field.
“There is a real need for an FM workforce that understands the complexities and changing nature of the sector and it is hugely important that more recruits can attain a recognised qualification in FM,” says Karen Waterlow, FM Specialist Adviser at Asset Skills.
“There are a range of qualifications which have either just been launched or are about to be launched which will help raise the credibility and profile of the industry. They will play a central part in opening up facilities management and helping attract new blood while also developing existing staff.
For new starters and experienced FMs - The occupational standards of 2008 have formed the basis for awarding bodies to prioritise work to develop National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) in facilities management. The Waste Management Industry Training & Advisory Board has recently launched their FM NVQ and others are set to do the same soon.
The new apprenticeship framework, available from September 2009, will provide an excellent starting point for anyone wanting to enter or develop a career in FM. It combines the NVQ in FM, a technical certificate (which will be a new level 3 award offered by the Institute of Leadership and Management and developed with the British Institute of Facilities Management) and key skills training. There is also the flexibility to take either the NVQ or the technical award as stand-alone qualifications depending on individual circumstances and experience.
For experienced staff with no formal industry-specific qualification, the option of the NVQ as a stand-alone qualification based on their workplace experience will be appealing. This would also suit facilities managers with significant experience in other areas who wish to fill gaps in their FM knowledge.
Asset Skills is also creating more pathways to FM through lower level qualifications in other services areas. These include the new Apprenticeship in Cleaning and Support Services at level 2 and a new award called Skills for Supporting Public Service, available in September 2009, which has a core of customer service and has been developed largely with FM teams in the public sector.