CASE STUDIES
PROMOTION THROUGH TRAINING
JAMES CAWLEY
Works as: Reception supervisor at GDF SUEZ LNG UK Ltd Studied for: Level 4
GARY STORROW Works as: Regional maintenance surveyor at Marston’s PLC Studied for: Level 5
What is your current role and what does it involve? I am the maintenance manager for a portfolio of 234 public houses nationwide. I am responsible for compliance, reactive maintenance, health and safety, contractor management and procurement of supplier contracts. It’s a varied role and involves being a point of liaison between contractors and
What is your current role and what does it involve? My role is reception supervisor for a large international gas firm. I am based at the main reception within our London office, as such my role is quite varied. Firstly, there is the provision of reception/meeting room/ switchboard/concierge services alongside the two receptionists. I am responsible for designing, delivering and developing these services to ensure a smooth visitor experience for all who visit our offices or use our meeting rooms. I am also responsible for supervising the catering waiter and daytime facilities assistant, filling in for the office manager
when she is out of the office, sourcing and managing logistics, branded goods and stationary suppliers and fire/bomb evacuation procedures.
internal operations teams. I undertake site visits, manage environmental health-related works and project-manage specific initiatives such as asbestos abatement works. I host regular review meetings with contractors to discuss KPIs and service and negotiate rates to ensure the best available.
Surveyors. I am working towards becoming a chartered surveyor in the field of facilities management and surveying, so I am working towards undertaking the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors’ Assessment of Professional Competence.
What training have you undergone? I undertook the BIFM Level 5 Diploma in Facilities Management because it covered many of the subjects in my field and would back up my experience with a professionally recognised qualification that would help me progress my career. What kind of training do you expect to undergo in the future, and why? The BIFM level 5 Diploma has given me membership to the BIFM and also direct entry as an associate of the Royal Institute of Chartered
What training have you undergone? I left school with only GCSEs and since then the largest block of training I have undertaken is the BIFM Level 4 Diploma. Originally, I undertook the Level 4 Award and then continued on to complete the Certificate and subsequently the full Diploma. I have undertaken training including several internal courses in each company where I have worked. I am also a qualified fire
What do you expect your recent training to do for your future career? As I left school and did not enter university my training with BIFM has given me a professional qualification that further supports my knowledge and experience in the fields of facilities management and surveying. It has already helped me achieve promotion, as I will be shortly starting a new role as regional surveyor with Marston’s, a long-established, very reputable pub company. I used one of my BIFM assignments in building surveying in my interview, which helped me stand out from the competition.
warden and DSE assessor. What kind of training do you expect to undergo in the future, and why? My next piece of planned training is IOSH, as it seems to be a standard requirement in most office and FM roles. Once I have been in an office/facilities manager role for some time I then plan to do the BIFM Diploma at level 5 and/or 6. What do you expect your recent training to do for your future career? I think having the Diploma at level 4 shows my commitment to FM and is a good way to prove to potential employers that I have
What are your career ambitions? I would like to become a chartered surveyor in the fields of facilities management and surveying and will actively pursue this over the next five years in my new role. I hope this will open up more career opportunities longer term for me where I can look to develop myself further. How will you put what you’ve learned into practice? I will put what I have learned on this course into practice every day in both my maintenance manager role and regional surveyor role. I am a wellrespected individual in my current role and regularly have people from all over our organisation asking me for FM advice. My training has helped me become a more competent professional facilities manager.
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