The Gwangju Education Office is providing training for facility management staff to prepare for the mandatory appointment of facility managers in schools and educational institutions.
According to the Gwangju Education Office, training is underway for 45 facility management staff working in schools and institutions in the Jeonnam region to obtain HVAC technician certification.
The training began on September 4 and will continue until October 23 at the Jeonnam campus of Korea Polytechnic University, which currently offers programs for training technical personnel, including energy facility automation.
This training is designed to ensure that schools and institutions of a certain size can appoint facility managers without relying solely on external personnel, thereby securing in-house specialists capable of managing mechanical systems.
The education office explained that starting April 17, 2027, the appointment of facility managers will be mandatory for schools and institutions with a total floor area of over 10,000 square meters.
The training is divided into two sessions, with participants receiving theoretical and practical education necessary for the HVAC technician practical exam.
The focus of the training is to enhance understanding of mechanical systems such as heating, cooling, and air conditioning that are continuously operated in schools, as well as to develop the ability to respond to malfunctions or anomalies.
The facility manager system is intended to ensure the stable maintenance and management of mechanical systems in buildings, with relevant standards including buildings over 10,000 square meters as targets for appointment. These buildings are required to appoint qualified staff or manage through specialized companies.
Park Jun-soo, head of the Education Facilities Division, stated, "We hope this training will enhance the expertise and practical capabilities of facility management staff. We also plan to continue training for entry-level facility managers in 2027."
Meanwhile, the scope of maintenance and management for educational facilities includes not only buildings but also the safety of electrical, mechanical, gas, and fire systems. The current enforcement decree of the Educational Facilities Act also stipulates that safety checks for electrical, mechanical, gas, and fire systems are included in the safety certification standards for educational facilities, highlighting the growing need for expertise among school facility management personnel.
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.