SOAPBOX


I would b e saying that cleaning is a fantastic career choice! I also think that I might not hav e to persuade many graduates about the bene ts of


employment in this sector, as some students may well already hav e b een working in the cleaning industry part- time hilst studying


O ne of the great adv antages of a cleaning ob is its fl exibility hen it comes to hours Some contracts need serv ices to b e deliv ered b efore the working day b egins, or after all an of ce buildings occupants have gone home Daytime cleaning also continues to grow in popularity, ensuring that cleaning is fast b ecoming a 2 4 -hour profession and making it easy to  t ork around study and revision times, lectures and exams


Cleaning can also prov e to b e an education in itself ot only are


We as an industry must try harder to promote j ob s in the cleaning sector as a career that graduates can dev elop, b ut one which they will also


 nd interesting ontract cleaning in particular is v ery v aried, as you deal with a wide range of b usinesses across a b road spectrum; this was always a fascinating area for me as


I got to ex plore the different cultures hich surrounded them t has been dif cult to attract youngsters to the industry giv en the long and unsociab le hours, b ut with the recent mov e towards daytime cleaning, I think this will help to attract the nex t generation side from that, there has b een a driv e towards technology, which certainly appeals to the more technologically-minded youth


A t my company, we hav e three people


I can use as great ex amples where younger indiv iduals hav e thriv ed in our industry  young lady oined


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there opportunities to train and gain uali cations  through recognised b odies such as BI CS c and WA MI T A B


– there is also the chance to dev elop the v aluab le social skills for which you cant earn a certi cate Working with team mates to deliv er serv ices, and interacting with people using the facilities while cleaning is b eing undertaken, enab les a cleaning operativ e to deal with different issues and personalities


L astly, I would highlight the j ob opportunities that cleaning opens up


I t is a possib le route to managerial posts ( ov erseeing operations and staff) , b ut it also allows an operativ e to specialise if thats hat they desire


P erhaps b eing an ex pert in infection control for healthcare env ironment' s appeals, or mayb e you would prefer to


b ecome accomplished in deliv ering the rigorous hygiene standards needed for food preparation areas ducational estab lishments, leisure facilities, hotels, retail outlets – all these and


us a few years ago as a low-lev el superv isor, and now is the H ead of the H R D epartment, while another person who j oined us at 2 4 now heads up our S ales and Marketing Department here as also a young


T urkish b oy who j oined us as a trained accountant; he decided quickly that he didn’t like the monotony of his role and approached us ab out going out to one of our sites o at ust , he is the A ssistant S ite Manager for a large contract – he’s doing incredib ly well and I hav e high hopes for him going much further ithin our company


N owadays, I think that cleaning is gaining wider recognition and commanding greater respect n turn, we hav e a much greater reputation which adds to our professional approach, and this is supported b y the many ex cellent training schemes which hav e b een set up in recent years to prov ide a career path and personal development for our orkforce f we are to attract more graduates to the industry, we must offer lots of opportunities to them, b ut also stress


more reuire speci c skills and services hen it comes to cleaning


S o, the facts are clear, an entry-lev el


j ob in cleaning can take you to many different places – and it could b e the springboard to a ful lling and long- term career Buildings ill alays need to b e cleaned – and people will always need more b uildings – so it’s a growth industry!


Ceris Burns Managing Director, Ceris Burns International


www.cb ipr.com


This month we ask... If y persuade youngsters an towards the cleaning ind would you say to them?


the huge v ariation which you can open yourself up to ou are targeting a huge range of clients rather than a single sector, as well as opportunities to meet people you otherise ouldnt


O f course, there is also always a scope for those who wish to set up their own b usinesses off the b ack of their ex periences too – an opportunity hich many have grasped


Douglas Cooke, Co-Founder of Principle Cleaning Services


www.principlecleaning.com


www.tomorrowscleaning.com


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