Career development


Stan Atkins, chair of the British Cleaning Council, speaks to us about the state of professional training for the cleaning industry.


We’re clearly disappointed that the proposed Cleaning & Hygiene Operative Level 2 apprenticeship hasn’t been progressed by government, and that possibly the much touted ‘T-Level’ vocational pathway, which might one day include a cleaning component, seems increasingly distant, as the whole T-Level programme has been delayed until at least 2020.


This means that while there is a huge challenge to close the skills gap in cleaning, there is no obvious training-based route for young people to follow which is directly aligned to the sector.


The potential consequences of this, especially in the light of Brexit, cannot be underestimated. The latest British Cleaning Council research suggests 12% of all cleaning firms struggle due to a lack of skilled staff, and over 5% of actual cleaning staff feel they are not fully proficient in their role.


In effect, that means there are around 35,000 operatives in the UK who believe they lack the right skills, which is clearly worrying. Furthermore, 68% of cleaning firms have told us that the skills issue is having a direct impact on their business.


What is encouraging however is that many firms are taking the responsibility of training seriously, and are investing significant amounts in both in-house and external provision.


The latest figures we have report that 68% of cleaning firms have arranged or funded some form of training, including both on and off-site initiatives. Between 2011-2015 we have also seen the number of staff receiving training increase from 52% to 60%, and on average these employees enjoy over six days of professional development in a year.


Financially this equates to £3,420 per trained employee per year, which adds up to a staggering £9.8bn annually. This is also significantly above the national average with regards to training investment made by companies in other commercial sectors.


However, 43% of firms also tell us while they would like to provide more training, they were restricted by either a lack of budget, time constraints, or both.


So, while the BCC welcomes the fact that the cleaning industry is trying to compensate for the lack of formal industry qualifications via in-house programmes, there is obviously a limit to how much the private sector can deliver on its own. And, as I have said before, while technology and automation may help to plug some of the gaps we anticipate in terms of low-skilled, repetitive, task-based


48 | TRAINING AND EDUCATION


activities, robots and IoT-enabled machines won’t solve the bigger picture problem we face.


This is why the BCC continues to push the importance of vocational training at every opportunity with partners and policy makers, and while we are also exploring sector-wide initiatives through the Council itself.


"There are around 35,000 operatives in the UK who believe they lack the right skills."


This includes a BCC programme called Project 35, which is looking at how we attract more young people into the industry. We’ve set up a BCC cross-sector working group, chaired by WAMITAB’s CEO Chris James, which has been researching young people's perceptions of the industry and looking at what we need to do to engage with them more effectively, enthuse them about working in the cleaning industry, and getting them to take that first step on a cleaning career ladder.


Furthermore, in my role as Group CEO of The British Institute of Cleaning Science (BICSc), I have been very closely involved in developing BICSc’s #Creating a Career in Cleaning campaign. This initiative is based on a belief that if you have passion for cleaning that there are credible, high- quality and accredited training options out there which can help you attain your career aspirations.


The campaign also looks to excite people already within the industry, empowering them to realise their potential, helping them to achieve job satisfaction, and reach their work- related goals.


I believe that this blend of expert knowledge from highly regarded industry professionals, combined with enthusiastic, emotional and motivated delivery, will go some way to help tackle both the skills deficit and employment shortages which the BCC’s recent research has forecast.


But any government intervention which directly addresses vocational training within cleaning and hygiene would still be very welcome.


www.britishcleaningcouncil.org twitter.com/TomoCleaning


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