ECJ EUROPEAN Cleaning Journal

Proposals for an Apprenticeship Standard for the cleaning and hygiene industry have been approved, potentially paving the way for employers to invest millions of pounds annually in training sector staff.

The British Cleaning Council (BCC), which made achieving the Cleaning Hygiene Operative Apprenticeship one of its key priorities, is aiming to support the launch of the apprenticeship levy funded programme early in 2024.

It will be hosting a series of expert-led AAG (Apprenticeship Advice and Guidance) Zoom information sessions starting in October, where employers can find out what the Cleaning Hygiene Operative Apprenticeship means for them and how to implement it in their workplace.

All employers with an annual pay bill of more than £3 million have to pay around 0.5 per cent towards the Apprenticeship Levy.

Because there hasn't been a relevant apprenticeship for many cleaning and hygiene businesses to invest in, millions of pounds of levy funding paid by the sector annually has gone to the Government instead.

The decision by approving body The Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) to give the greenlight to the proposals means those businesses will now be able to use their apprenticeship levy payments to fund staff to complete training for a Cleaning Hygiene Operative Apprenticeship.

BCC chairman Delia Cannings said: "My BCC colleagues and I are thrilled and delighted by this news. The Cleaning Hygiene Operative Apprenticeship will be a major and valuable contribution to the future success of the cleaning and hygiene sector."