Cleaning up perceptions
Denise Hanson, Head of Technical Services at the British Institute of Cleaning Sciences (BICSc), discusses the growing importance of training and education for the cleaning industry.
Training and Education is vital to the continued development of our industry and the personnel within it. An industry that offers a clear career path with SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timebound) objectives is more appealing to people looking for their first position in the job market.
If we look at the latest report from the British Cleaning Council, it states: “The UK cleaning sector still has a poor perception amongst the general public and is not regarded as an aspirational career choice for younger workers.”
This makes it very clear that as an industry, cleaning still has some way to go to change people’s perceptions and invigorate their interest in cleaning as a career path, with real and tangible expectations of progression.
If we look at what impact this perception is having on the cleaning industry we can see that the proportion of workers under 25 is much lower than that seen across the economy as a whole. This percentage is currently standing at 6% for the cleaning industry versus 12% of industry as a whole. We need to admit that aspiring to be a Cleaning Operative isn’t generally a recommendation anyone would receive from the Careers Officer.
Of concern also is that as a workforce, 23% of workers in the cleaning industry are now over the age of 55 and it is clear that the industry will likely face issues around an
ageing workforce if this trend continues. Furthermore, the BCC points out that over the next 20 years it is expected that there will be employment growth across higher level occupations including managers and technical roles.
It is generally expected that industry will see a shift towards people holding higher qualifications. It is estimated that the proportion of people with no formal qualifications is expected to fall to 4%.
Critically, it is generally this 4% who will find themselves working in the service industries of cleaning, catering, security and hospitality. An important point to note is that when we are recruiting staff, all of these sectors are fishing in the same pond.
So how can we ensure that we can recruit and then successfully retain our staff? This is where a good training programme really comes into its own, as this is proven to reduce churn, improve staff morale, minimise disciplinary procedures and give measurable benefits in client satisfaction.
While cleaning is not seen as an exciting or attractive job choice, for some people it is a stepping stone into other roles as they improve their language skills, and for others it is a convenient time slot around their caring responsibilities, be that for children, elderly or disabled relatives. Training can be the key to engaging these people and providing them with the abilities and interest to stay within our industry and your workforce.
44 | TRAINING AND EDUCATION
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