Interserve employees complete industry-leading cleaning apprenticeship
Sixteen employees at Interserve have completed the industry-leading 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 Sector Skills Council for Facilities Management and Cleaning.
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 Facilities Management National Vocational Qualification Level 3 accreditation.
Bruce Melizan, Executive Director at Interserve, commented, “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 Facilities Management 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.
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For further information please contact:
| Hannah Simpkins | 020 7902 2000 |
| External Marketing Manager, Support Services | |
| Elizabeth Morley / Tom Eckersley | 020 7379 5151 |
| Maitland |
About Interserve
Interserve's vision is to be the Trusted Partner of all our stakeholders. We are one of the world’s foremost support services and construction companies, operating in the public and private sectors in the UK and internationally. We offer advice, design, construction and facilities management services for society's infrastructure and provide a range of plant and equipment in specialist fields. Interserve is based in the UK. It has revenue of £1.9 billion and a workforce of 50,000 people worldwide.
About Asset Skills
Asset Skills is the Sector Skills Council (SSC) for facilities management, cleaning, housing, property, planning and parking.
It is a UK-wide organisation, licensed by Government to work with business to ensure training and vocational qualifications are relevant and meeting the needs of industry. Its work is shaped by leading employers who steer the organisation through a main board. There are also separate boards for Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.
There are several strands to its work:
- Occupational Standards - all careers must be backed by sound occupational standards. Asset Skills develops standards in consultation with industry. These are descriptions of the tasks and responsibilities of particular jobs and form the basis for workplace qualifications such as Apprenticeships and National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) or awards offered by professional bodies.
- Employer engagement - this is at the heart of its work. Asset Skills is led by a board of employers from each of the industries it represents and its teams meet businesses of all sizes on a daily basis.
- Labour Market Information - good research enables greater understanding of each sector's shifting requirements in terms of markets, working practices and technological change.
For more information about Asset Skills please visit www.assetskills.org, email info@assetskills.org or call 0845 678 2 888 (local rate call).
