Grow Your Own: The New Skills Economy in Facilities Management

In facilities management, a perfect storm is brewing.

Clients are asking for smarter services. Staff are harder to find and even harder to keep. And the job itself? It’s changed beyond recognition. Today’s FM professionals are expected to manage carbon reduction targets, tech-enabled systems, and complex compliance requirements – all while delivering friendly, on-time, frontline services.

But there’s a problem. The sector is running out of people.

More than two-thirds of FM leaders report struggling to hire for support roles. Half can’t fill management or technical positions. And mid-sized firms like Premier are feeling it most. Post-Brexit, post-pandemic, and facing an ageing workforce, FM can’t rely on the open market to provide the people it needs.[1][2]

So, the question isn’t: where are we hiring from?

It’s: how are we building what we need?

Skills Gap: A Growing Pressure on an Ageing Industry

The facilities sector has long been powered by people who learn on the job. That’s still true. But the jobs have changed.

Sustainability targets now sit squarely within FM’s remit. Clients want data-informed insights, not just reactive repairs. Engineers are expected to understand digital building systems. Cleaners are expected to deliver services that support wellbeing, ESG metrics, and regulatory outcomes.

All of this demands a more complex skill set: part technician, part strategist, part relationship manager.

And yet, the sector is haemorrhaging people. The number of workers nearing retirement is increasing. Applications to trades and technical apprenticeships are still low. Young people are choosing other sectors, and public perception of FM as a ‘career’ remains weak. In a 2023 IWFM outlook survey, more than 70% of respondents cited the skills gapas one of the biggest threats to the sector’s future competitiveness.[3]

Meanwhile, clients are embedding social value and upskilling metrics into tender scoring. Winning contracts increasingly depends not just on your pricing, but on who delivers your services – and how you’re developing them.

Recruitment is no longer a solution. It’s an overhead.

Apprenticeships: A Long Game That Pays Off

The UK FM sector is starting to reframe talent as infrastructure. Something to build, invest in, and maintain over the long term.

Apprenticeships, once seen as an entry point for school leavers, are now the cornerstone of that approach. And not just for entry-level jobs.

Mitieenrolled 222 new apprentices in a single week in 2024, spanning roles in data, leadership, engineering, and customer service. They now offer apprenticeships from Level 2 (cleaning operative) to Level 7 (strategic leadership).

OCShas committed to over 1,000 apprenticeship placements, integrating technical services, security, catering, and professional services.[4]

These aren’t PR exercises. They’re economic responses to a labour market that isn’t bouncing back.

The Apprenticeship Levy, still underutilised by many mid-sized firms, allows companies to fund most of the training costs through government support. And the returns – in retention, performance, and continuity – are measurable.

Done right, apprenticeships don’t just solve pipeline issues. They embed company values, reduce reliance on agency labour, and create visible pathways that attract better applicants.

The Real Work: Beyond Compliance Training

What does growing your own talent actually mean in FM?

It means ditching the idea of training as a tick-box exercise. It means:

Creating internal academieswith structured development plans for front-line, technical, and support staff

Mapping career pathsfrom entry-level to management, and making them visible from day one

Investing in both hard and soft skills– from SIA licensing and BICSc certifications to customer service and leadership coaching

Using digital learning toolsto reach site-based teams in ways that work around shifts, site access, and real-world constraints

Embedding mentoringbetween experienced staff and new recruits

Tracking progression and celebrating internal success

Firms that approach training holistically are seeing better results. Staff retention improves. Client satisfaction goes up. Sites become easier to manage.

More importantly, people start to see a future for themselves in the industry. And that changes everything.

Case in Point: Premier’s Strategy

At Premier, a mid-sized FM provider with teams across cleaning, security, operations, and professional support, the question of workforce development isn’t hypothetical. It’s central.

We hire across three core areas:

Cleaning and security operatives

Operational management (site supervisors, contracts managers)

Professional services (HR, finance, projects, fleet)

Each requires different capabilities. All demand commitment to service, learning and change.

Here’s what we’re doing to meet that demand:

1. We’re creating bespoke training for our clients

Our client sites range from schools and public buildings to commercial estates. Each has unique needs, risk profiles and standards. So our training isn’t generic. It’s site-specific, written in partnership with our ops teams, and delivered with clarity. That means higher standards and fewer errors.

2. We’re using our Apprenticeship Levy to upskill managers and support teams

From site leads to HR and finance teams, we’re funding formal development through structured apprenticeships. The Levy allows us to do this cost-effectively, without compromising work time.

3. We’re revisiting our benefits packages

Training is only part of retention. We’re looking at how to offer a sustainable, compelling set of benefits that reward long service and personal growth. That means better alignment between what staff want and what we offer.

4. We’re promoting from within

We believe people already in our business have more potential than we often give them credit for. So we’re finding ways to help them progress.

Take Sam Hobbs, for example.

“Sam started with Premier over 10 years ago as a cleaning supervisor at one of our key account locations,” explains her manager, Nadia Heath.

“Over time, Sam progressed to become a mobile cleaner, then in 2024 was promoted to Contracts Manager at our Northern Head Office. She’s taken on some tough sites, but we’ve received excellent feedback from her clients. Sam always goes the extra mile to train her teams properly, ensure her clients are happy, and keep the standards high.”

These stories aren’t just nice to have. They’re evidence that with the right structure, development works.

Why This Matters

In 2025, talent is infrastructure.

Facilities management will not solve its labour challenges with recruitment alone. Agencies are expensive. Hiring is slow. Skills are mismatched. And when someone leaves, all that knowledge walks out the door.

The alternative? A workforce that learns, grows, and stays. A culture where people see opportunity. Where training is real. Where progression is visible. And where your next manager is already on your payroll.

Companies that invest in training don’t just reduce turnover. They reduce errors. They reduce risk. And they improve outcomes for clients.

That’s what we’re doing at Premier. Because in a sector where expectations are rising, but supply isn’t keeping pace, there’s really only one question left:

What are you doing to build your own future?

Sources

[1] FMJ Magazine, 2023: “Addressing the FM skills shortage”

[2] Facilitate Magazine, Feb 2024: “FM industry hiring challenges persist in technical and front-line roles”

[3] IWFM Market Outlook, 2023: Key disruptors to the FM industry

[4] OCS Group and Mitie apprenticeship press releases, 2024