Working with the Educational Foundation of the International Facilities Management Association (IFMA), a new career pathway that combines Hospitality and Facilities Management is being developed for CA Community Colleges. According to IFMA, a large job gap exists in the area of Facilities Management (FM). With a lack of trained Facility Management (FM) professionals entering the workforce, and approximately 50% of the FM workforce retiring in the next 5-15 years, there is a need to fill the middle-skills jobs, the largest proportion of the workforce. In California, many of these jobs are at Hospitality Facilities, including hotels, convention centers, arenas, concert venues, restaurants, attractions, and community centers.
The Hospitality and Facilities Management career pathway is a solid one, with positions needed even in a recession, and especially during a pandemic. While many hospitality/tourism employees have been furloughed or laid off, the ones with FM skills or experience are working more than ever to keep up with maintenance, cleanliness and sanitation of buildings and facilities across the state. Wages are fairly high for the RHT sector, averaging about $75K in the inland regions, and between $90-$110K in the Bay Area and other urban regions.
Chaffey College, in the Inland Empire/Desert Region was the first California Community College to develop the Associate in Science Degree in Business-Facilities Management (launched in 2017), which included the IFMA Certificate of Facilities Management within it. In the Bay Area, the College of San Mateo offers a Certificate of Specialization in Facilities Management. West Los Angeles College also has a program.
Chaffey College is currently in the process of developing the first California Community College program in the country to offer a proposed Certificate in Hospitality Facilities Management for Fall 2021. The proposed certificate includes 25 units and an internship. Upon completion, students would earn the industry recognized Certificate of Facilities Management (from IFMA) as well as the Certificate (from American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute, AHLEI).
Examples of positions available to those completing the certificate include Director of Facilities, Director of Operations, Operations Manager, Facilities Manager, Facilities Supervisor, Food Services Manager, Food Services Supervisor, Maintenance Manager, Maintenance Supervisor, Director of Engineering, Engineering Manager.
For more information on the Hospitality+Facilities Management Pathway, contact Joy Hermsen, hermsen_joy@rsccd.edu.
