Industrial cleaner apprenticeships

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Industrial cleaner apprenticeships - where to start

You can get into this job through

a college course

an apprenticeship

applying directly

specialist courses offered by a professional body

College

You could do a college course, which would teach you some of the skills and knowledge you need in this job. Relevant courses include:

Level 1 Award in Cleaning
Level 2 Certificate in Cleaning Principles

You'll usually need 2 or fewer GCSEs at grades 3 to 1 (D to G), or equivalent, for a Level 1 course. You'll need 2 or more GCSEs at grades 9 to 3 (A* to D), or equivalent, for a Level 2 course.

Apprenticeship

You could specialise in working in hospitals and medical centres by doing a healthcare cleaning operative Level 2 apprenticeship. You'll usually need some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent.

Direct Application

There are no set requirements if you want to apply directly for jobs, but previous cleaning experience would be useful.

Other Routes

You can do specialist training through The British Institute of Cleaning Science. You'll need a Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) card or equivalent to train and work on a construction site. A driving licence might be useful for this type of job.

Industrial cleaner apprenticeships - what it takes

Skills and knowledge

You'll need:

the ability to use your initiative
to be thorough and pay attention to detail
patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
sensitivity and understanding
the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
ambition and a desire to succeed
excellent verbal communication skills
customer service skills
to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device

Restrictions and Requirements

You'll need to be able to cope with working at height

Industrial cleaner apprenticeships - what you'll do

Day-to-day tasks

You could:

wash out boilers, tanks and vats with high pressure hoses
remove dust and ash with industrial vacuuming equipment
decontaminate work areas and machinery
mix cleaning chemicals in the correct amounts
sandblast the outsides of building and structures
work from cradles or mobile access platforms to reach higher levels
safely store cleaning equipment and dispose of hazardous waste
clean and disinfect areas following strict standards and procedures
remove graffiti
report potential hazards to supervisors

Working environment

You could work in a prison, at a school, in an NHS or private hospital, at a power station, in a factory or on a construction site. Your working environment may be at height and cramped. You may need to wear protective clothing.

Career path and progression - Industrial cleaner apprenticeships

With experience, you could become a team supervisor. You could also set up your own company to specialise in a particular type of cleaning, like flood relief or biohazards.

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Considering an Apprenticeship?

There are lots of benefits to apprenticeships, here are our top 5:

Paid Training
Not only will your organisation (or the Government) pay for all of your training, but you’ll be paid to do it. That means you could actually get paid to get your degree and have no debt!
Range of career opportunities
There are over 625 different apprenticeships to choose from, in a range of industries. Whether you’re interested in law, marketing, construction or engineering, you’ll find something up your street!
Earn & learn
As an apprentice, the minimum you’ll earn is £6.20 an hour, but we’ve seen apprentices earn a starting salary of up to £30,000 a year! You could also get other employee benefits like gym memberships, paid holiday and sick pay.
Great career prospects
Employers think apprentices are 15% more employable than those with other qualifications. In fact, many large employers train their graduates and apprentices together!
Learn on the job
There’s only so much you can learn when you just do a qualification. As an apprentice, you’ll also get to learn on the job - whether that’s designing amazing graphics, chopping vegetables or building engines!

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