UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Penn State Facilities Engineering Institute (PSFEI) has added a ProFM credential instructor-led course to its educational offerings. As a ProFMI Education Partner, PSFEI staff will present the facilities management (FM) course for the first time at the National Facilities Management and Technology (NFMT) Conference & Exposition in Orlando, Florida, Nov. 11 and Nov. 12. Course participants will continue with a seven-week, online, instructor-led program Nov. 20, 2019, through Jan. 22, 2020, to complete this hybrid delivery.
A second ProFM course offering in Pennsylvania will be announced at a later date. Unlike the hybrid delivery aligned with the NFMT conference, this offering will be instructed entirely in the classroom.
According to the ProFM website, the credential course helps facilities managers be:
- Relevant & Current: The ProFM Body of Knowledge, the basis of the ProFM credential, is the most current and relevant standard for facility professionals. It goes beyond the traditional definition to reflect all knowledge and skills required of today’s facility professionals.
- Comprehensive: The ProFM Credential Program teaches 19 functional knowledge areas and five cross-functional competencies that have never before been combined together into one complete program.
- Applicable: ProFM focuses not only on enhancing knowledge, but also building practical skills to impact facility performance immediately.
- Global: ProFM’s Body of Knowledge reflects the globalization of the industry from the incorporation of global ISO 41000 standards, the perspectives of international ProFMI Commission members, and input from more than 3,300 professionals in 93 countries.
- Independent: ProFM was developed by facility professionals, for facility professionals. Respected thought leaders, employers, and working professionals came together with the common goal of elevating and uniting the profession.
PSFEI Interim Director Mark Bodenschatz and Education Program Manager William Lash, who earned their ProFM credentials in early 2019, are slated to instruct the course at NFMT, as well as the remaining sessions throughout the seven-week online program.
“For our clients and course attendees, the ProFM credential is an extension of the knowledge earned through some of the core courses and workshops PSFEI offers,” Lash said. “As more employers continue to consider the credentials their employees and candidates bring to the workplace, we anticipate the ProFM credential will be something an increasing number of employers look for. We want our clients to be well educated and ready to navigate their FM careers.”
With more than 30 years of experience, Bodenschatz is well versed in asset management, business management and risk management — some of the key areas covered by the ProFM Body of Knowledge. Yet, he knows the profession is an ever-changing arena where continual growth and knowledge are increasingly important.
“The ProFM credential is designed for all levels of facility professionals,” Bodenschatz said. “I have been working in FM for more than three decades, and admittedly have a lot of qualifying experience. But, how do I prove this to clients or potential employers who aren’t personally familiar with my work? The ProFM credential is a universally accepted standard to help employers identify proven talent.”
The PSFEI ProFM credential instructor-led course fee is $2,815. Upon successful completion of the course, participants will take two exams to earn the ProFM credential, which is good for three years. To learn more about PSFEI education programs, including the PSFEI ProFM credential instructor-led course, visit psfei.psu.edu.
The Penn State Facilities Engineering Institute provides facilities engineering services, education programs and energy management to Pennsylvania state agencies, the federal government and nonprofit organizations. The organization aims to advance its customers’ facilities engineering objectives through applied research, education and innovation.
Formed in April of 2017, ProFMI is a partnership between National Facilities Management & Technology, Milwaukee, WI, provider of live and online facilities management education and Holmes Corporation, an instructional design, marketing and distribution firm delivering premium-quality learning systems to professionals around the world. Led by a commission of voluntary leaders speaking for the market and representing the diversity of the facilities management profession, ProFMI is committed to elevating the facility management industry and serving its professionals around the world. It assembles the top thought leaders in the industry to define the required knowledge and competencies of all facility managers, validate these findings with ongoing market research, create and deliver superior education, and evaluate professionals against these standards.