A three-year degree programme in facility services management has been introduced by the School of Tourism and Hospitality Services Management of IGNOU. The first programme of its type in India, the BA in Facility and Services Management (BAFSM), trains students for employment in facility services management.

Interested candidates can apply for the BAFSM programme on the IGNOU official website, ignouadmission.samarth.edu.in. Applicants should have completed Class 12 or equivalent to be eligible for admission. The three-year programme will be taught in the English language. Students will be able to apply for the ongoing July 2022 session and the upcoming January session.

“Facility management is the day-to-day operations required to ensure a physical environment that supports an organization's needs and core functions,” the institute said. The programme was launched today at the IGNOU headquarters by vice chancellor Nageshwar Rao. He said that the programme is designed with a modular approach that allows learners to opt-in and out after a year or two years, which is consistent with the New Education Policy (NEP 2020) recommendations.

“BAFMS is a job-oriented programme that provides learners with the fundamental knowledge and skill set needed to begin a career in the Facility Management Industry,” it said.

An industry expert, Aneesh Kadyan, stated that the facility management industry is rapidly expanding and that facility managers' roles are expanding to include more responsibilities and skills. He also stated that this discipline is still relatively new in India, whereas it is a mature discipline with excellent job prospects elsewhere.

The Pro VCs, including Aneesh Kadyan, Executive Director and National Business Head - Operations, CBRE, RP Das, Srikant Mohapatra, Sumitra Kukreti, Manroop Singh Meena, and others, attended the launch programme.