Gulf Construction Online - CBFM in drive to upskill workers

Facilities Management

Workers with their certificates of completion after training.

CBFM in drive to upskill workers

01 August 2018

Cofely Besix Facility Management (CBFM) has recently embarked on an award-winning initiative that involves imparting facilities management (FM) concepts to blue-collar workers from across the UAE, aimed at raising their skill levels.

Through the ‘Partnership for Development’ initiative, CBFM has already partnered with two of the biggest FM workers’ accommodations: Al Raha Operative and Labotel Workers villages, with a combined resident community of 25,000.

“The FM industry has grown exponentially over the last few decades however, a skills shortage is still a huge barrier to growth. By utilising one of our existing resources we are, therefore, able to address a need within the local market to impart sustainable knowledge and skills which will hopefully transform their lives and that of their extended families,” says Ian Harfield, CEO of Cofely Besix Facility Management.

“Given the nature of our business and our ambition to be the leading FM company in the region, we created this initiative to target the largest sector of the UAE worker community who do not have sufficient education to move up in their careers, and no clear path to developing new skills within companies. Ultimately, our long-term aim is to reach at least 10 per cent of the resident population within various residential villages in the UAE,” he says.

In 2017, CBFM launched Al Mareefa, a purpose-built mobile training bus that provides on-site training to all CBFM staff. It later decided to extend this facility to all blue-collar workers resident at labour camps in the UAE.

The Al Mareefa Training Bus ... providing on-site training to workers.

Training is delivered in the mobile Al Mareefa Training Bus, a second-hand school bus that was renovated with a mini-theatre-style seating, TV monitor and state-of-the-art simulation panels for delivery of classroom-type training.

The bus travels to various labour camps delivering training on topics such as maintenance of air-conditioning split units, portable appliance testing (PAT) testing, fire and life safety devices, air-conditioning safety devices, electrical maintenance, and refrigerant leak testing and repairing. The bus is a totally self-supporting facility, so there is no need to connect to any of the resources at the camps.

Harfield says the aim of the programme is to raise the level of awareness amongst blue-collar workers with core concepts from the FM body of knowledge, as well as to raise the confidence level amongst blue-collar workers to become skilled and raise themselves above their current roles.

Plans are currently under way to include visits to more remote areas in the UAE.

CBFM is a joint-venture established in 2008 by Cofely and the Besix Group, to provide first-class integrated FM services in the Middle East. Its integrated FM model provides the ability to offer multiple services on multiple sites, all through a single point of contact. The services on offer include a complete range of maintenance, cleaning, management solutions and essential multi-disciplinary trades, supported via a 24/7 call centre, to every industry sector, from residential and commercial to educational and airports.

CBFM’s clients include The Emirates Group, Dubai Mall and the Dubai Fountains, Al Sufouh Tram, Emirates Real Estate Corporation, Masdar, Yas Island and Adar headquarters in Abu Dhabi, to name a few.

Cofely is part of Engie, a global energy leader. The group has been present in the Middle East region for 30 years, where it develops large gas and power infrastructures and provides energy services.

Besix has been active in the region for more than 50 years and has a wide range of experience of real estate and infrastructure construction.

The strengths of these two companies were combined to deliver the most critical part of FM – maintenance of technical installations and energy management.