Servest Recruit Apprentices To Clean Up Parliament

Facilities management provider Servest Group has recruited 15 apprentices for its cleaning contract at the Houses of Parliament, as part of a wider drive to employ 100 apprentices across the business by October 2015.
 
The first 15 apprentices, who are between 19 and 24-years-old and are paid the London Living Wage, have committed to an initial year-long facilities management apprenticeship at the Parliamentary estate which contains more than 100 staircases, 1,100 rooms and three miles of corridors. During the first year of the apprenticeship they will receive continuous on-the-job training, including one-to-one sessions, on all aspects of cleaning from using and maintaining cleaning machinery to the different types of flooring and the appropriate cleaning techniques for each environment.
 
At the end of the first year, the apprentices will have the choice to continue with the cleaning discipline or choose another FM field such as catering, security or mechanical and electrical maintenance. The five-year scheme will see apprentices have their own team supervisory role by the fourth year and an area management role in the fifth year, if they meet the expectations that the demands of these positions require.
 
Servest has worked with the local colleges in Barnet and Reed NFCE to recruit the apprentices. The roles started in mid November, and the added excitement of participating on the London Professional Apprenticeship programme, which is managed by PWC and took place on the 3 November, is a fabulous addition to the apprentices’ learning and networking opportunity throughout the year.
 
The scheme is supported by Servest’s supplier base with organisations such as Craftex Cleaning Systems and HTC Floor Systems delivering relevant training alongside The Sarina Russo Group, a government-funded training provider of employment skills, which has been delivering training to Servest employees for several years.
 
Norma Bresciani, Group Strategic Accounts Director at Servest Group, said: “We are thrilled to be recruiting apprentices for our prestigious cleaning contract with the Houses of Parliament. We need to attract more talented, young people into our industry in order to address the skills gap, and apprenticeships are a key way to do this.”