The British Cleaning Council and members write monthly columns for both Cleaning and Maintenance and Tomorrow’s Cleaning. You can read recent columns below.
To read the columns as they originally appeared, please visit https://cleaningmag.com/columnists and https://www.tomorrowscleaning.com/back-issues
New Growth and Skills Levy is a step in the right direction
By British Cleaning Council Chair, Delia Cannings. (This column first appeared in Tomorrow’s Cleaning magazine).
I was very encouraged to hear the recent announcement that a new Growth and Skills Levy will replace the existing Apprenticeship Levy.
The new levy will allow funding for shorter apprenticeships, giving learners and employers greater flexibility over their training than under the existing system – where apprenticeships must run for at least 12 months.
The training eligible for funding under the new levy will be developed over time, informed by Skills England’s assessment of priority skills needs.
Further details on the scope of the offer and how it will be accessed will be announced in future, after consultation with the business sector.
I am not aware of a launch date for the scheme and, of course, we will have to see what the final scheme looks like, but I believe the new Growth and Skills Levy could be a big step in the right direction.
It is hugely positive that the new Government has acted so quickly on this issue and is focusing so intently on improving skills and boosting growth.
The first report from Skills England, the government’s new body for the skills system, published at the same time as the announcement of the Apprenticeship Levy revamp, highlighted the issues the nation has with apprenticeships and investment in skills generally.
The report found that UK employer investment in training has been in steady decline over the past decade, with training expenditure at its lowest level since records began in 2011 and investment per employee down by 19 per cent in real terms.
That this has happened despite the launch of the Apprenticeship Levy in 2017 demonstrates what we who work in business already know– the Levy system does not work.
The idea was that businesses would be spurred to introduce apprenticeships in their workplaces because they could fund them using compulsory Levy payments which would otherwise go to the Government.
Instead, £3.3 billion in UK Apprenticeship Levy funds went unspent between 2019 and 2022. That sum included millions of pounds in Levy funds paid by the cleaning and hygiene sector annually.
The UK has been left with a huge skills gap. The Skills England report showed that, nationwide, almost one in ten, or over 2.5 million roles, are in critical demand, with more than 90 per cent being in roles that require training or education.
The obvious conclusion is that apprenticeships and the Levy are simply not fit for purpose, leaving workers, businesses and the UK economy to pay the price.
The launch of the Level 2 Cleaning Hygiene Operative Apprenticeship earlier this year was a big step forward for our sector, potentially unlocking millions of pounds a year for staff training in the industry.
It offers a way for industry businesses both large and small to invest in their staff using Levy funds, providing employees an opportunity to access a recognised work-related cleaning qualification. Please visit www.britishcleaningcouncil.org/apprenticeships to find out more.
However, take up of the apprenticeship has been slower than we would have liked. The truth is that one size does not fit all.
We at the BCC were hugely involved in the development and support of the apprenticeship endeavouring to make it fit for purpose. We were limited in design and scope due to the rigidity of the Institute for Apprenticeships and imposed restrictions.
This latest news will enable a more flexible approach to education and training which is focused on developing skill sets, to support life-long learning and widening participation and growth. The Government has said it will design the new system in consultation with the business sector.
Keep Britain Tidy launches Buy Nothing New Month
(This column first appeared in Cleaning and Maintenance online).
Allison Ogden Newton OBE, CEO of national environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy, calls for support for people to tackle their consumer habits as a poll shows 28.4 million UK adults (53 per cent) acknowledge they are contributing to climate change by ‘buying stuff’. She explains below.
Keep Britain Tidy has launched a national campaign urging people to try for just one month to buy nothing new – apart from essentials – in the wake of concerns over the amount of waste generated by our buying behaviour.
Buy Nothing New Month was launched for the third time in November as YouGov research on our behalf shows more than 39 million (73 per cent) of UK adults agree not enough is being done to help them prevent waste.
It’s crucial that government, businesses and councils collectively support people to reduce the environmental impact of their buying habits particularly at this time of year, as communities brace themselves for the most expensive and promotion-driven time of the year. The public is faced with the lure of ‘bargain‘ shopping events like Black Friday, Cyber Monday and the run-up to the festive period and often buy things they don’t really want or need.
We aim to ignite a change in behaviour by supporting people to try alternatives to buying new such as reusing, repairing, upcycling or abstaining in the first place – with the added benefit of being good for our finances at a time when money is tight for many.
It’s a tragedy for the environment that many impulse buys end up in landfill, polluting our environment, after just one use.
We know there is a public appetite for change. Our YouGov research shows people are ready to shift their mindset toward conscious consumption, with almost 35 million (65 per cent) of people confident they could buy less – in fact, around two thirds (67 per cent) are motivated to reduce the amount of waste their household produces.
“Educating our communities about the link between what we buy and the resulting environmental harm is fundamental in normalising a sustainable approach to what we consume and what we waste.
“While many may feel the enormity of the climate challenge and wonder what they can do as an individual to effect change, this campaign shows that together our small actions can make a real difference”.
Visit www.keepbritaintidy.org/get-involved/support-our-campaigns/buy-nothing-new-month to sign up now and receive weekly tips by e-mail.