14 October 2021 – Planon is proud to be the first corporate partner of IFMA Foundation’s Eric Teicholz Sustainability Facility Professional® (SFP®) Scholarship Programme. The goal of the SFP Partner Programme is to provide sustainability-related education beyond the original programme’s yearly scholarships. Participating as Programme Partner in the initiative provides an opportunity for organisations to support a sustainable future, creating a generation of facility management (FM) leaders committed to environmental best practices.
All SFP scholarships are open to young professionals who are currently practicing FM or a related field and are interested in earning a specialty credential in sustainability. The awardees are selected on the basis of their sustainability achievements, diversity, financial need and the impact that the scholarship will be expected to have on the applicant’s career.
Planon founded the first additional programme to the scholarship, which is related to the use of technology for sustainable FM practices and will start in 2022. Data and technology are vital components for facility managers to increase their companies’ economic productivity, and reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and other ecological footprints – eventually enabling a net-zero emissions future based on green growth.
Erik Jaspers, Global Strategy and Innovation director of Planon said, "We are very proud to be the first SFP Technology Programme partner. Planon is a firm advocate of continuous learning, and we believe that the ambition to do better every day will allow all of us to take on the major challenges of our time, such as combating climate change. Buildings and workplaces that are both sustainable and encompass forward-thinking technological capabilities can significantly contribute to this goal. Enabling young professionals in FM to broaden their knowledge in environmental practices will allow them to support their organisations in moving towards a sustainable future."
Planon encourages other corporates to partner in the SFP Scholarship Programme, either by introducing a programme in a topic area of their choosing or by joining an existing programme, such as the newly launched SFP Partner Technology Programme.