British Cleaning Council Get on boardwith training and development
training becomesmore and more crucial to our sector. Given high staff turnover in
By Doug Cooke, chairman, British Cleaning Council.
It used to be the case that anyone with amop and bucket could become a cleaner. Partly that’s still true, cleaning is one of the most accessible professions with few barriers - language, education expectation or skills training - in the way. However, as cleaning be- comes increasingly profes- sionalised, with contractors expected to integrate into businesses during the day,
the industry,many compa- nies and contractorsmay feel that training isn’t a worthwhile investment.Why train your operatives when they’ll justmove to another companymid-training or af- terwards, leaving you with the bill? Staff haven’t often taken interest in training in the past due to their part- time status and lack of com- mitment to the role. Language barriers have also been an issue -multi-lingual classes are expensive to pro- vide. Looking now to the bene-
fits of training to both busi- nesses and employees, it’s clear that companiesmust make changes to their busi- nessmodels to address the hurdles associated with it. With proper training and de- velopment, cleaning offers a viable career path and pro- gression for cleaning opera- tives. The Cleaning and
Contact details
Support Services Associa- tion’sManagement Diploma for Progressing Supervisors is just one route available that I would have no trouble recommending, having seen staff come back to their jobs brimming with confidence and knowledge. The Asset Skills website shows pro- gression tables that go from NVQs through to degrees in Environmental Cleaning Management, technical spe- cialismand business owner- ship. If staff buy into the process, companies who provide English language training canmake a real dif- ference to socialmobility. Many of the sector’s employ- ees hold professional qualifi- cations fromtheir home countries, and these can be tapped into with amazing re- sults. Training also has a huge
impact on safety. Handling chemicals in the proper way is imperative for employee, cleaning contractor and client. The British Institute of
Cleaning Science offers many courses that reduce the possibility of hazards. So what changes can we
make as a sector to ensure that the perceived issues with training don’t happen? The introduction of the living wage to your business, cou- pled with amove to daytime cleaning, can have a huge impact on staff turnover. Both of these adjustments have the potential to create a full-time workforce who are available for in-work training and are committed to their employers. Making these
changes has the additional benefit of integrating clean- ing contractors within the client’s business, allowing contractors the opportunity to prove their worthmuch more than the ‘night fairy’ model - reducing the in- stance of contracts won on price alone. You can find outmore
about training and develop- ment in the cleaning industry by going to the following BCC member websites:
www.bicsc.org www.cleaningindustry.org www.assetskills.org
The CSSA releases itsmanifesto for 2013
The Cleaning and Support Services Association (CSSA) has published its public affairsmanifesto for this year, outlining a clear commitment to improvements in cleanliness stan- dards, health, and economic recovery. A focus on the importance of cleaning for health, profes-
sionalising the workforce, improvements in sustainability, and commitment to safety are all pointed out in the docu- ment as reasons to support the cleaning industry. The CSSA encouragesMembers of Parliament to keep
cleaning at the top of the agenda.
www.cleaningassoc.org.uk
For further information on the British Cleaning Council and details of itsmembers contact: The General Secretary, BCC Ltd, 478-480 Salisbury House, LondonWall, London EC2M5QQ, UK T: 020 7920 9640 E:
info@britishcleaningcouncil.org W:
www.britishcleaningcouncil.org
SAVE
GUARANTEE
Introducing Reintec – the smarter choice for all your cleaning equipment needs.
reintec pure clean performance 14 l C&M l JUNE 2013 l
www.cleaninghub.net
SAVE
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40