The Sector Skills Council for the places where we live and work
Careers Advice Line 0800 056 7160
Rishi Joshi, Facilities Management Apprentice, John Laing Integrated Services
Rishi Joshi has been a facilities management apprentice since October 2010.
"My course is with Westminster Kingsway but I don't often visit the college. The course is structured so that a tutor comes to see me at my workplace.
"I used to meet my assessor once a month to review how I was getting on with the work and to guide me through the start of new modules. However, lately we've been aiming to meet fortnightly in order to start putting my portfolio together.
"I'm really enjoying the research aspect of the course. Because FM is such a diverse discipline I get a chance to learn about a number of different areas like procurement, finance, legislation and security.
"So far I'm enjoying researching environment and sustainability in the workplace because it's so clearly an area which is going to dominate in the future and it's interesting to be analysing how best organisations can move forward and improve their practices.
"Fortunately there's nothing about the course that I dislike, but if I had to pick something I'd say that some of the modules like Health & Safety can, after a while, become a bit a little dry!
"I do like working in FM. There's enough variety to sustain my enthusiasm for it. Although I'm not having any particular training at the moment, the module I'm currently working on is entitled "Managing sustainability and environmental issues", so I am and will be researching about specific environmental practices that may be adopted in the workplace.
"Honestly, I didn't know what FM was at school. I understood the component parts of FM like security, cleaning, and general support services, but I didn't know about the umbrella term 'Facilities Management' and what it meant.
"I do have to explain what FM is to my friends. Like me at school they also know about the various aspects that are associated with FM but don't know that these different elements can all add up to one cohesive discipline."
Some of the jobs I will be required to do include:
