James Marston, Trainer and Inspector, British Institute of Cleaning Science, reports.
With the time and money organisations spend on training annually, it would be satisfying to know the workforce understood it, applied lessons learned and the benefits to the organisation are there for all to see. Measuring evidence and the impact of training within a workforce is difficult to quantify. Numerous criteria may be a lengthy and expensive project, adding more cost to stretched training budgets.
You may be aware that the British Institute of Cleaning Science (BICSc) uses formal assessments to award qualifications. Candidates, through practical task assessment, must demonstrate and apply the principles and methods they have learned to a high standard. Every business or organisation must carry out training. How many formally assess their staff after the fact? I think it’s a rare occurrence.
To assess any operation in the workplace, safe systems of work must be present and up to date. Compliance documents are key, especially the standard operating procedures or method statements. They are the benchmark of compliant operations in any cleaning organisation. Sadly, and all too often, these documents are not updated, missed as tools in training and not readily available to frontline teams. They sit in the office and are not utilised as a tool for good.
Is formal assessment essential? We think so. Modern business needs to prove its methods, training and strategy are successful to meet ISO requirements. More potential new customers want evidence during procurement to demonstrate investment, training and reviews about operational performance to improve services. Formal assessment is a great way of judging operations across the board. The resources required already exist within many organisations. Supervisors with the knowledge and skills can judge good or poor standards at work.
The British Institute of Cleaning Science (BICSc) has many years of experience training and ensuring assessment standards remain high with its assessors.
Assessment must always be valid to the organisation, transparent, and fair. It should measure, in terms of the cleaning sector operations, a consistent level of the best practice, compliance with the training objectives and company policy. The marking criteria should be considered carefully ensuring scores reflect desired methods and safe working practices. A good example is the dilution of chemicals. Organisations may use dosing systems or manual dilutions. Either way, compliance with manufacturer’s instructions, personal protective equipment (PPE) worn, measuring apparatus used to create precise solutions and safe disposal would score points towards an agreed pass mark for dilutions.
Measuring all staff in in a consistent way provides valuable data regarding the effectiveness of training, compliance to policy and procedures. Results will highlight those who did not pass for further training and eventual successful assessment. Furthermore, the evidence recorded in formal assessments will stand up to audit and inspection from external bodies. Workforce assessment results are far greater evidence of success than proof of training activity alone.
Formal assessment may worry some staff. We have all faced times of close examination in our careers. Staff may not look forward to their assessment day. In my experience, when they pass and are proven to be good at their job, knowledgeable and successful staff feel accomplished and delighted they made the cut. The result could be a step up to greater opportunities and recognition within their role. A real motivator.
Overall, formal assessment can energise staff and help shift existing cultures to those that invest in staff, qualify them and endorse individuals and teams proving their ability to succeed and feel valued. These are factors that engage staff and will lead to longer employment terms. A much better use of managers’ time than interviewing and replacing staff who have moved on.
https://www.bics.org.uk/
About the contributor
James Marston
Trainer and Inspector
BICSc