ECJ EUROPEAN Cleaning Journal

Anna Garbagna reports from Italy on a new training course taking place in Bergamo recently.

Bergamo was the setting for the inaugural session of the Course of Advanced Training in Cleaning Management, the meeting promoted by Fra.Mar, a company operating in the cleaning sector since 1970, in cooperation with the Università degli Studi di Bergamo.

The objective of the course was to supply relevant knowledge on methods, techniques and tools for the management of all activities related to the cleaning and sanitising of commercial and residential environments, together with an overview of the available technologies in the cleaning world.

The presentation of the course was also an opportunity to start a round table, chaired by Stefania Verrienti, general secretary of Afidamp (the association that brings together Italian producers of products and technologies), who moderated the debate on facility management topics. These services must be recognised as  vital importance for the society rather than something marginal, she said.

Now more than ever cleaning services are something one can’t ignore, because they are fundamental for the wellbeing and health of individuals, as well as for the environment. Verrienti in fact produced evidence of this statement in the form of a survey conducted by Afidamp which revealed that for no less than 47 per cent of citizens, cleanliness is the first indicator of the quality of life.

Starting from these concepts,  a debate was subsequently carried out between several speakers including Simone Maffeis, general manager of Fra.Mar; Massimo Totaro, responsible for prevention and protection service of ATS Bergamo; Maurizio Vittori, responsible agronomist of the agricultural enterprise Mioorto; Emilio Bellingardi, general manager of Sacbo (company managing Orio Al Serio-Bergamo airport); Alessandro Cianciaruso, managing director of Seas (the company in charge of maintenance of Ryanair aircraft); Vladimiro Carminati, plant manager of  Brembo; and Gaetano Bonvini, sales director of IPC Group.

A two-fold conclusion emerged from the meeting: on one hand, the need to give more and more value and attention to the cleaning sector and on the other a reaffirmation of the importance of training. Updating of skills and training are an opportunity which must also happen at two levels.

On one side the basic operator must be trained on the technical aspects of the job and must be  made aware of the importance of his new role. On the other side, the cleaning manager has a key function: as liaison between the customer and the company, he is the person who can create synergy between the two parts in order to pursue a shared objective, that is to guarantee the result.

The teaching of the Course of High Training in Cleaning Management was assigned by Università degli Studi di Bergamo to Dr Giulio Guizzi from Brescia, an Afidamp ambassador and author of several works, including the book “Hygienic Cleaning and Sanitisation: the Dirty History of Cleanliness”.

After the first lesson, about perception and general concepts of the science of hygiene and dirt removal through history, the topics covered include: the marketing of services, systems of environmental management, health and safety, contracts and legal aspects and management of plant maintenance.