Inspiring Students to Fill the FM Gap

What this episode covers

Summary: On this episode of FM Evolution, hosts Shawn Black and Randy Olson sit down with Jim Zirbel, a chairman at FM Pipeline Team, Inc., an organization that aims to engage, enlighten, and energize the next generation of facility management professionals. Jim's focus is on organizational governance and policy implementation as the FM Pipeline program grows across the United States. Throughout the episode, Shawn, Randy, and Jim discuss the program FM Pipeline offers and the talent gap in the FM industry. Thanks for tuning in! Shownotes: (1:02) Introduction to Jim (8:13) Feedback on the FM Talent Gap (12:05) Solution to the FM Talent Gap (23:41) Process of Becoming an FM Professional (26:50) How FM Professionals Are Giving Back (29:15) Closing Thoughts Links: Shawn Black Randy Olson Jim Zirbel FM Pipeline Quotes: “The organizations that invest in their people and provide professional development are where they want to be. They want to grow. They want to be better at what they do. They want to gain confidence. They want to gain credibility.” - Randy Olson, (9:49) “I would contend that a high number of FM professionals that are looking at different careers, jobs, or employers are looking for organizations that value them. That helps train them. That helps keep them current.” - Jim Zirbel, (13:26) “Our program is a scaled solution and we ran into the problem in the high school space of if we’re going to create something that populates these further programs, we better have something that is solid.” - Jim Zirbel, (15:49) “This program encompasses everything the facility manager needs to do on a daily basis across all the technical and functional skills. And then the soft skills, those communication skills, innovation skills, the ability to collaborate, and sustainability.” - Randy Olson, (24:23)