18 June 2015 | Kelly Sloan
BIFM introduced the Certified grade of membership with the designatory letters CBIFM in 2010 alongside the new suite of BIFM Qualifications as part of our wider strategy to advance the profession.
CBIFM was introduced to recognise individuals who are professionally qualified to Level 6 (degree level) or above in facilities management or a related field.
We started with 26 Certified members, all of which were BIFM Qualified Members who automatically transitioned to this new grade of membership. Since then the Certified grade has continued to grow and last month we celebrated reaching a major milestone of 1,000 Certified members.
The introduction of CBIFM back in 2010 came with its own challenges; could we effectively promote this new grade both within our existing membership and to the wider industry when our existing grades were so established? Was the value clear?
The answer to both of these was 'yes'. The growth that we have seen has come from new members joining at the Certified grade and existing members progressing through the grades. This is a really positive indicator of the success. One of the key objectives for the change was to offer a clear pathway through professional membership. We also frequently get FM professionals seeking employment who come to us as the job they are applying for requires them to hold Certified grade demonstrating recognition of the value of CBIFM within the FM industry.
What's next in the CBIFM story? We are exploring ways to recognise the vast quantity of FM professionals that have many years' experience but no formal qualifications who are currently unable to reach CBIFM. Alongside this we are also reviewing the positioning of the Certified grade to ensure that this is an aspiration for all members and the mark of a professional member.
Although the growth of the Certified grade is a huge accolade for BIFM the Member (MBIFM) grade still remains our largest membership group and our grade structure is designed to recognise FM professionals at each stage of their career. Whether you have been working in FM for two years or 20, there will be an entry route for you and a grade of membership that awards post-nominal letters to recognise your expertise and professional status within the industry. If you're not sure if you are at the right grade of membership or if you want to find out if you are eligible to upgrade why not contact the Membership Team on the details below to talk about your options.
We are five years into the CBIFM journey and still moving forward; where do you want to be in the next five years? Why not start your journey today?
For more information on upgrading visit www.bifm.org.uk/upgrade or contact us via [email protected] or +44 (0) 1279 712 650
Kelly Sloan is Membership and Community Development Manager at BIFM