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Interserve employees complete apprenticeship
16 employees at Interserve have completed the Cleaning Apprenticeship. Interserve, the first-ever large organisation to pilot and develop this programme, delivered all training and assessments with the support of Merton College and Asset Skills.
The programme was delivered entirely in the workplace, with tutors working around the learners’ shift patterns. This reduced downtime and ensured employees understood the practical implications of their training. Initial reports show a more effective and better motivated workforce and increased productivity, with the programme being expanded across the company.
Learners spent between nine and 12 months studying for the qualification. This consists of an NVQ level 2 in cleaning and support services, adult certificates in numeracy and literacy, a technical certificate and a British Institute of Cleaning Science accreditation. The development of this qualification follows Interserve’s recent pioneering of the FM NVQ Level 3 accreditation.
Bruce Melizan, executive director at Interserve, said: “At Interserve we’re committed to training and developing every employee, and piloting and developing the Cleaning Apprenticeships is just the next step in giving our employees the opportunity to develop both their personal and their technical skills. Following on from pioneering the FM NVQ Level 3 and signing the Skills Pledge, Interserve is working hard to increase the skills within our workforce and to offer every individual the chance to develop to their full potential. I am extremely proud of everyone who has completed this apprenticeship and of the team who supported them in achieving this. The apprenticeship is an opportunity for both our business and our employees to develop and support the communities where our staff work and live.”
Richard Beamish, chief executive of Asset Skills, said: “We developed this apprenticeship in close consultation with employers and are confident it will help improve workforce skills across the cleaning industry. Cleaning is such an essential job and skilled cleaners are a real asset. This programme will boost efforts to show cleaning as a skilled profession with plenty of scope for career progression.”
The Cleaning Apprenticeship is just part of Interserve’s commitment to the UK’s Skills Pledge, along with Backing Young Britain, Skills for Life and supporting the roll out of Asset Skills’ Virtual Academy. Interserve has also been fundamental in developing and promoting the FM NVQ Level 3, and is currently in the process of developing a facilities management advanced apprenticeship.
Monthind expands Caretaker division
Monthind Ltd, cleaning services provider in East Anglia, has continued to expand its caretaker offering. Now with 20 caretakers delivering services including concierge duties across the region the company is able to meet all the requirements of its clients with this specific service. The caretakers cover a wide range of services from cleaning, decorating, gardening and building maintenance.
“The key to the success of this operation is the working partnership with our clients,” said Penny Candler, business manager. “Our caretakers respond to direct requests from our customers, for both scheduled work and reactive requirements. This gives our clients both the benefit of direct control, whilst staff remain under Monthind’s employ and management. A perfect solution to enable smooth working practices with the personal touch of dedicated caretaking staff.”
All the caretakers have recently undergone training covering health & safety, manual handling and caretaking specific duties. Within this remit, importance was placed on end-user protection as the team come into daily contact with vulnerable adults and children.
“It has been a learning curve for both Monthind and Essex Cares and it works very successfully across all our Cares establishments,” said Alan Dunsdon of Essex Cares. “The caretakers make a valued contribution to both the upkeep of the buildings and supporting people with learning disabilities.”
Monthind enjoys a long established reputation for delivering high levels of service locally to a broad range of clients in both the private and public sectors. The service offering includes day to day cleaning for a wide range of environments such as commercial offices, manufacturing and warehouse sites, schools, transportation terminals, power stations and public sites. The company also has a specialist services division which provides kitchen cleaning, high level cleaning, window cleaning, and other specialist work.
www.monthindclean.co.uk
Businesses commended for commitment to London living wage
The London living wage campaign reached a major milestone recently as it was announced that over 100 firms have now committed to paying their staff a wage which helps ensure an acceptable standard of living in the capital. Bank of America and Merrill Lynch were among 17 new employers who have signed up to pay their staff a rate of £7.85, which has been created to help provide Londoners with a socially acceptable standard of living. The move will see an extra 2500 workers lifted out of the lowest pay bracket.
According to calculations from the office of the Mayor of London, the wage could help 25% of the 630,000 children currently living in poverty if it were paid to every worker in the capital.
Mark Woodhead, chairman of the British Cleaning Council, said: "It is only right that all workers are rewarded with a wage that will help keep them out of poverty. Cleaners have been one of the greatest beneficiaries of the London living wage, and the British Cleaning Council commends the 100 companies that have pledged their support to this policy and hopes that this will encourage others to follow their lead."
Andrew Large, chief executive of the Cleaning and Support Services Association, said: "Studies have found that paying the living wage results in higher levels of motivation, loyalty and productivity amongst workers. While there is a strong argument that the London living wage is right from a moral standpoint, it more than pays for itself economically. In an era of budget cuts and extreme pressure on cleaning contractors to cut costs, it is doubly commendable that so many new organisations are ensuring that it is not the lowest paid workers who will suffer during the difficult times ahead.”
www.britishcleaningcouncil.org
Government’s skills strategy supports growth in FM and cleaning
Asset Skills has welcomed the government’s new skills strategy which looks set to keep employer input at the core of training and vocational qualifications development. Skills for Sustainable Growth and its parallel publication, Investing in Skills for Sustainable Growth, were launched by Secretary of State for Business, Vince Cable, and Skills Minister, John Hayes. The strategy sets out their vision for reform of the further education and skills system in order to improve workforce skills, the performance of the economy and engagement in learning.
Investing in Sustainable Growth outlines how government seeks to achieve its objectives through investing strategically in FE and skills over this ‘spending review’ period. Savings will have to be made, but the government understands the importance of maintaining high levels of participation and performance and will continue to look to Sector Skills Councils (SSCs) to ensure that apprenticeship frameworks and national occupational standards are updated to meet the needs of the FM and cleaning industries in the face of new market conditions and increasing competition.
Richard Beamish, chief executive of Asset Skills, the Sector Skills Council for FM and cleaning, said: “We are encouraged by this announcement. It shows the government is recognising the role we can play as an SSC in helping employers lead and influence change on skills and training issues in their industry.”
Vince Cable said: “We are not in a position to throw money at the problem, but even against the backdrop of reductions, resource will be found to expand the apprenticeship programme for adults and support more people undertaking an increasingly respected form of vocational training.”
John Hayes said: “The government’s skills strategy is one of the most important documents yet published by the coalition government. Helping business and individuals gain the skills they need is vital to helping the country gain economic strength and build sustainable growth in the long term. Despite a reduction in the FE and skills budget, we are continuing to protect and invest in programmes that provide the highest quality and greatest benefit to the maximum number of people. Replacing Train to Gain with funding for workplace training prioritised on SMEs will help employers with a small workforce train low-skilled staff. And as we continue to expand apprenticeships and reinvigorate community learning more people will be able to build their skills and fulfil their potential. The acquisition of skills enables people to progress in learning and work and delivers social benefits too. I want to see the development of a culture of learning with individuals and employers driving forward the skills system and contributing to the learning they receive.”
The reform of the skills systems includes:
• Expanding the numbers of adult apprenticeships available, so by 2014-15 there will be 75,000 more adults starting than under previous plans.
• 200,000 adults will be able to start an apprenticeship. The Government will invest £605 million in adult apprenticeships in the 2011-12 financial year.
• Improving the apprenticeships package, so that level 3 (A Level equivalent) becomes the level to achieve, and there are clear progression pathways.
• Fully funded training for young adults aged from 19 up to 24 undertaking their first full level 2 (GCSE equivalent) or first level 3 qualification when they do not already have one.
• Fully funded basic skills courses for individuals who left school without basic reading, writing and mathematics.
• Protecting investment of £210 million in adult and community learning, to support personal development, inclusive communities and a route into formal learning for the disengaged.
• Introducing Government-backed loans from 2013-14 for learners aged 24 and over undertaking level 3 or higher qualifications. This will give people access to finance. They will not have to make their contribution to costs of the course until they are reaping the benefits of it and earning a decent wage.
• Initiating a demand-led growth and innovation fund of up to £50 million of government investment a year, to support employer-led initiatives within sectors such as new professional standards, and to promote leadership and management in small and medium enterprises.
• Replacing Train to Gain with an SME focused programme to help small employers train low-skilled staff.
• Helping people who are on active job-seeking benefits to secure work through labour-market relevant training.
• Reducing bureaucracy in the sector. Colleges and training providers will be freed from red tape so they can respond to the needs of employers and learners. The complex funding system will be simplified and from the 2011-12 academic year there will be a single adult skills budget.
A copy of Skills for Sustainable Growth and Investment for Sustainable Growth is available to view on the BIS website:
www.bis.gov.uk/news/topstories/2010/Nov/Skills-for-sustainable-growth
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www.assetskills.org
Tennant secures ‘noise Oscar’
Tennant Company was awarded a 2010 ‘noise Oscar’ for technology from the Noise Abatement Society (NAS) for its Green Machines 500ze street sweeper.
The NAS awards recognise and promote innovative ideas and initiatives from local authorities, industry, individuals and organisations that have made a positive impact on the reduction of excessive noise in the community and helped to improve the aural environment.
The awards are named in honour of the Society’s founder, John Connell OBE, who successfully lobbied the Noise Abatement Act through Parliament in 1960 when noise became a statutory nuisance for the first time in the UK.
As the world’s first Lithium-ion powered vacuum street sweeper, the Green Machines 500ze heralds a significant step in the drive for reducing carbon emissions, improving air quality and significantly reducing noise pollution in city centres around the world. Ideal for sound-sensitive environments with significant pedestrian traffic, the Green Machines 500ze delivers good cleaning results while addressing the growing requirement for environmentally sensitive solutions for major cities and local boroughs throughout the world.
Additional benefits of the Green Machines 500ze include:
• Zero exhaust emissions to improve air quality in cities and urban areas.
• Zero CO2 emissions to help address the growing requirement to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
• Significant noise reduction to enable unobtrusive early morning or late night operation - in transit mode, the 500ze is nearly silent.
• Up to eight hours of operation on a single charge of its Lithium Ion battery packs.
• Water consumption is reduced through the Cloudmaker dust control system.
In making the announcement, Gloria Elliott, chief executive of NAS, referenced the 500ze and Tennant Company as a shining example of how a major global corporation can contribute to the important issue of noise reduction, applauding the 500ze for its ground-breaking application of technology to achieve near-silent operation and zero emissions.
“Emissions, in particular noise pollution, are a critical issue for our customers and communities,” said Stephen Lynas, product director, Tennant Company. “Tennant Company is committed to developing innovative and more environmentally-friendly ways to clean, and is honoured to receive this award as recognition of that commitment.”
In addition to the NAS ‘noise Oscar’ award, the Green Machines 500ze was also recognised with the 2010 Ruban d’Honneur UKTI Award for Innovation, as well as the 2010 Minnesota High Tech Association ‘Cleantech’ award, which recognises businesses that manufacture environmentally-sound products or solutions that reduce costs, inputs, energy consumption, waste or pollution.
www.tennantco.com
Ionator scoops top award at SHOP 2010
The ionised water cleaning tool from Activeion, the ionatorEXP, has won the Product of the Show award at SHOP 2010, held at the RDS Simmonscourt in Dublin recently. The ionator won in the Best for Innovation category.
SHOP is Ireland’s major event for the food, drink, retail and hospitality markets. The Product of the Year awards, sponsored by the Irish marketing and communications firm Marla.ie, is regarded as an important launch pad for companies to present their products to an audience defined by market sector.
Recently awarded the HACCP International Certificate of Food Safety as a food-safe aid to manufacturing (cleaning and sanitation), the Activeion ionator EXP is a handheld tap-water ioniser - a completely chemical-free cleaning tool that ionises and converts tap water into ionised water. The ionised water that sprays out when you squeeze the trigger has been proved to kill 99.9% of common bacteria plus the H1N1 Type A 2009 swine ‘flu virus on hard, non-porous surfaces. It also lifts all types of soil and makes it easy to wipe away, leaving surfaces in food retailers, hotel kitchens, restaurants, serving areas and washrooms clean and safe.
André G. Krell, Activeion’s general manager in Europe, said: “It’s time to switch to a completely chemical-free way to clean that also protects. Our certified tests show how well our products perform on various test micro-organisms under a six second spray period at a distance of approximately 7-10cm. A quick spray cleans dirt and eliminates bacteria, improving health all around. We are proud to take the gold in this award competition. Ireland is one of our key target markets, along with the UK, Germany, Austria and Switzerland, and the HoReCa (hospitality, restaurants and catering) sector is one of the company’s critical vertical markets. The placing confirms full client acceptance of Activeion’s ionator EXP features - cleaning efficiency, safety, sustainability and cost savings.”
www.activeion.com
