FEATURE
A bright future in 2025
Delia Cannings, Chair of the British Cleaning Council (BCC), explains that education and training are the key themes for the year ahead.
As we look ahead to the next 12 months, the cleaning and hygiene sector is getting off to a great start with the London Cleaning Show, which occurs 18-20 March 2025.
This is set to be a bumper show, with more exhibitors and conference speakers than the 2023 edition, and extra floor space booked. I’m thrilled to see it going from strength to strength.
I’m currently looking forward to giving an update on the Council’s activities at the show and unveiling the BCC’s 2025 Research Report about the cleaning, hygiene and waste sector. Packed with the latest facts and figures, it is a key document for the industry.
Last year’s figures showed that the cleaning, hygiene and waste industry contributed nearly £59.8bn to the economy and employed 1.47m people, cementing its position as one of the biggest and most important sectors in the UK. It will be fascinating to see what this year’s research report reveals.
During the same talk, I will launch an exciting new initiative that will bring huge benefits to the cleaning and hygiene industry, entitled the UK Cleaning Career Development Zone. This new website from the BCC will bring together training and career development opportunities from across the industry into one place for the first time, where they can be easily accessed online, for free.
Our publicity campaign about the website also highlights the attractions of working in the sector, with the aim of encouraging the new joiners that our industry needs. We will be announcing details of the website and where to find it on the day, so keep your eyes peeled for that and watch out for more news about the UK Cleaning Career Development Zone in the media, and via social media, as the year progresses.
As we continue through 2025 and into 2026, education and training will continue to be an essential priority for the BCC.
The launch last year of the Level 2 Cleaning Hygiene Operative (CHO) apprenticeship was a milestone for the sector, for
www.britishcleaningcouncil.org 6 | TOMORROW’S CLEANING PRODUCTS & SERVICES GUIDE 2025/2026
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the first time giving all cleaning and hygiene businesses the opportunity to use Apprenticeship Levy funds to invest in their staff, and offering their workforce access to a recognised work-related cleaning qualification.
The figures for the first full year of the CHO apprenticeship are encouraging – more than 200 apprentices are on the programme. I suspect some businesses were initially cautious about introducing the apprenticeship in their workplaces, but now it seems to be taking off.
I am delighted with this good start and, over the next year, we will continue to encourage businesses and staff to sign up to the CHO apprenticeship.
I was very pleased to hear recently that the Government is to remove a couple of the hurdles which have caused concerns for businesses interested in the apprenticeship. Ultimately, they will make it easier for sector businesses and staff to get involved. Training providers delivering the apprenticeship will be working closely to implement any changes as appropriate. You can find out more about the apprenticeship here.
Throughout the year, we will continue to lobby Government and other bodies to make the industry’s voice heard, and to support the recommendations of the ‘Embedding Effective Hygiene for a Resilient UK’ report. We are currently discussing taking a new approach to this work, and hope this will bear fruit in the next 12 months.
On the downside, the employers’ National Insurance contribution changes are due to take effect from April. I know a lot of cleaning sector business leaders are worried about how the NI changes will combine with a weakening economy to put them under pressure.
I very much hope the outlook for sector businesses improves as we move towards 2026.
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