It's time to brush up on skills
April 1st 2009 Mick Durham of uke learning believes investment in training pays dividends for the cleaning industry, as untapped potential is released
At one time, cleaning was for those who didn't do well at school. However,we're now much more aware that people who don't succeed in the classroom can be hiding huge potential," says Mick Durham of uke learning, who believes that skills training is vital for the cleaning industry."There's no such thing as an unskilled job any more, and it's imperative that we invest in people performing the kind of tasks previously not thought worthy of training."
Much of the time, it may not matter that your cleaning team has a problem with basic maths or English, but overlooking this problem can be costly. Some specialist cleaning tasks involve mixing cleaning products in precise quantities.Misunderstand directions and you could create a solution that is far too strong,wasting a lot of product and a potential for dangerous fumes. Far worse, however, is the opposite problem; attempt to clean with too weak a solution, and you may get poor results from a lot of effort.This may produce a disappointing result anywhere, but in a hospital it could mean higher rates of MRSA or clostridium-difficile.
Training your staff is always a wise investment, and needn't be a financial one.Government funding for basic numeracy and literacy is readily available, and can lay the groundwork for some quite specific job related training, also funded for you.
A few years ago, a National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) in cleaning may have seemed fanciful – today it's a sound commercial strategy.Winning and retaining business is dependent on high levels of consistently excellent service delivery, and the best way to do this is to retain staff.You may not be able to incentivise them financially to stay with you, but you can gain a reputation for investing in people through training, and make them feel valued.
It's difficult to inspire loyalty among workers who don't feel that their job is prestigious or valued. Gaining an NVQ also provides the cleaning or facilities management company with a valuable point of differentiation, in that it can present its teams to prospective clients as qualified cleaners.
A good training provider will be able to train on site and tailor programmes to fit in with working routines, so that people spend the minimum possible time away from their active roles.
Commercial success can be greatly influenced by higher staff morale, confidence and loyalty. Given that it's time efficient, zero cost and gives you a selling proposition, it's difficult to see why any company would choose not to invest in training. More articles from UKE Learning: | 
