Effective cleaning training centre
January 1st 2006

thecentre:mk in Milton Keynes has opened the first custom-built cleaning training centre in any UK shopping centre, to provide a realistic setting in which cleaners can practise their skills

The training facility at thecentre:mk is fitted with finishes and surfaces that are typically found in any office block, home, school or shopping centre. Test areas on the floor have coverings like carpeting, tiles, rubber matting, vinyl, marble and wood, and the walls are finished with a selection of different materials including stainless steel, glass, paint, tiles, mirrors and fabric blinds. A brick wall complete with graffiti - an ever increasing phenomenon in public spaces - is part of the simulated setting, and enables staff to learn the correct methods and materials to use.

One of the areas duplicates all the finishes likely to be found in toilets, bathrooms and kitchens. Alongside this is an lIofficell with a desk, keyboard, chair, filing cabinet and a whiteboard. All the materials have been recycled or reused from within the building and installed by the in-house maintenance team.

Cleaning manager Carol Wakelin says "The centre provides a single, contained area where all the finishes are in one place. It now gives us the opportunity to interact one on one with colleagues, to train them in a quiet and private setting without interruptions and away from the bustle of an actual office or shopping centre. Training all team members to the same consistently high standard raises the benchmark for thecentre:mk."

BICSc currently moderates the training and ensures that their stringent standards are upheld. Since the introduction of BICSc training, staff turnover has been reduced from 34.1 % to 4% and absenteeism has fallen significantly. Most of the cleaning staff at thecentre:mk have now completed BICSc training. Staff morale is up and the employees feel more appreciated and valued as a result of management investing in their careers.

The launch of the BICSc approved training school at thecentre:mk was a huge success for the cleaning and maintenance staff, some of thecentre:mk's retail store representatives and suppliers.

Tony Longstaff, chief executive of thecentre:mk told the 60 VIP guests and staff how Carol Wakelin's team had built the training centre with the generosity and goodwill of suppliers, with some excellent recycling of items from around the centre. He joked to some of the retail store management present "If you are missing a loo door or a few floor tiles, you now know who borrowed them!" but on a serious note, he congratulated all the cleaning and maintenance staff for their hard work and resourcefulness in recycling waste materials from around the centre to provide such a wide range of cleaning surfaces.

Known for his enthusiasm to 'get stuck in' and 'role reversal'Tony then donned safety goggles and 'had a go' at cleaning graffiti from a training room wall using the BICSc way. "Don't tell anyone that I did this so well" he joked "or I'll be spending all my time at home cleaning."

Keith Aldis, CEO of BICSc who carried out the official opening ceremony spoke of the importance of staff training and emphasised that the expression 'just a cleaner' is now history - cleaning is a very important task, it should be carried out by trained personnel such as those at thecentre:mk. He said: "Cleaning is a science and there are correct ways of carrying out various tasks - it's not a hit and miss affair."

Keith congratulated the 50 staff who have already completed BICSc courses and praised them for their enthusiasm and resulting effectiveness in their work. This was proven in 2004 when thecentre:mk won the Kimberley-Clark Professional Golden Service Award sponsored by BICSc for its Excellence in Training.

Before offically opening the training centre he reminded everyone that there is now a career path in cleaning with examinations at all levels. Cleaning has become a first, not last career choice. "Be proud to be a cleaner", he said "it's a very important job".

thecentre:mk attracts over 30 million visitors per year and has over 230 retail units. Of the 130 management staff, 39 are cleaners who provide a yearround 24/7 service.

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