UKCES

Continued...

While growth is predicted in property, housing and facilities management, there is expected to be a drop in the numbers employed in cleaning.

Learners are drawn from a wide spectrum including young people in compulsory education to those following vocationally related qualifications in Further and Higher Education as well as those following programmes leading to professional body qualifications. Much learning takes place during short training courses many of which are unaccredited. Whilst a large percentage of the workforce in housing, property and facilities management has qualifications, a large number of people in elementary level jobs in cleaning do not. Adult literacy, numeracy, language and employability skills are of particular importance in this latter group.

The major challenges facing Asset Skills in relation to standards and qualifications centre on:

• the large number of small companies in the footprint who have little commitment to or experience of qualifications

• an ageing workforce with a lack of recruitment of young people into the footprint due to no clear career pathways

• a changing skill mix as job roles are broadened and redefined

• gaps in existing qualifications provision to cover certain job roles

• the need for recognised qualifications structure covering all levels of competence

• limited commitment from employers to engage in the assessment of competence

• a low skill base in certain parts of the footprint on which to build

• limited uptake and completion of apprenticeships

• an employer wish to see qualifications match job roles more precisely

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