Window Cleaning Courses Making An Impact

Impact 43 is a leading provider of Window Cleaning training.

SOUTHAMPTON WINDOW CLEANERS SET THE BAR: Cleaners taking the QCF Level 2 Window Cleaning Course in Southampton have set the standard for 2011, says Andy Willis. It’s been a busy but rewarding time for Andy Willis of IMPACT43, who has been in Southampton steering two enthusiastic groups of window cleaners through the QCF Level 2 Window Cleaning Course. “I’ve been so impressed with the calibre of the candidates who are now attending these courses,” said Andy. “They’re really setting the standard for 2011. Most of them have substantial practical experience, but even so they’re very keen to develop further.

Course members have been following in the footsteps of Southampton-based Progress Cleaning Services, who were awarded Window Cleaners of the Year prizes in 2009. Companies attending have included: Dall Cleaning Partnership, CSS Window Cleaning, Hi-Glass Window Cleaning, and AWS Pitcher and Co.

Director Lloyd Dall of Dall Partnership, which operates throughout Southampton and Portsmouth but also covers London and other key towns and cities, said: ‘I have been in the window cleaning industry for twenty years now and times really have changed. Here at Dall we’re aware that property owners are starting to specify qualifications when they recruit. In particular, they want window cleaners who have a QCF Level 2 Qualification, so for us it’s a must that all our guys should attend a recognised course and achieve this important professional training and certification.

Director Kevin Robson from Progress Cleaning Services recommended the course to Lloyd, and he is glad he took Kevin’s advice. ‘I attended the course myself,’ said Lloyd, ‘along with director Michael and two of our window cleaners. We all thought it was excellent.’

This week the latest QCF Level 2 Qualifications and certificates have started arriving on candidates’ desks. The QCF Qualification (formally NVQ) is provided by South Thames College and their appointed service partner, IMPACT43. A recognised industry qualification for commercial/domestic window cleaners that operates right across the country, the QCF provides an exciting professional opportunity for window cleaners. Fast being adopted by managing agents, it covers all aspects of the business, including:

·      The Delivery of Customer Services

·      Effective Communication

·      How to work as a sole trader or as a Team

·      Preparing Hazard and Risk Assessments

·      Working at Height Considerations, covers flat roof access and water fed pole hazards

·      Effective Cleaning of all types of Glazed Facades

·      Safe operation of the latest Water Fed Pole Equipment

Candidates taking the QCF course attend four training workshops over four months – one day each month – and also undergo five practical assessments.

1.     Completing a hazard and risk assessment

2.     Setting up a works area control

3.     Traditional hand tools

4.     Selection inspection and safe use of ladders

5.     Water fed pole, setting up and using poles safely

Andrew Willis of IMPACT43 says: ‘Our candidates have worked really hard, and it’s a pleasure to see them now promoting their awareness of training and certification to their clients.’

In a recent press release, David Morris (a former City and Guilds candidate) from David Morris Window Cleaning said: ‘These days more and more building owners want to know about staff training. They ask what credentials you have, and I think that’s a good thing. In my opinion, every window cleaning company has a moral duty to train staff to the highest possible level, especially in matters relating to Health and Safety. No longer can you send people out to work with no training - not if you want to be taken seriously and build a reputation as a Health and Safety conscious business.’

Andrew was also pleased to receive the following email from Paul Delaney of Inside Out, one of last year’s QCF award winners. Paul, who won Newcomer of the Year, wrote:

Paul Delaney of "Inside Out," receives his award.

‘Many thanks for all your hard work in putting the course over. Your presentation with the personal experiences made it really worthwhile, so thanks. The main reason for this email is to offer congratulations on your brilliant article in Cleaning and Hygiene Today (CHT Magazine) and your comments about the FWC

Some time ago the Federation sent out a questionnaire asking 'what do we need to do?' My response was: 'Do more to change the public’s image of the window cleaner'. There was no feedback, which I expected, so you can imagine how pleased I was to see that you appreciate the need to get us over as professionals: people who undergo training and use the latest equipment safely to produce the best results.

 

Tim Wibrew said: ‘A couple of days after receiving my award at Windex I was completing a tender presentation for a large facilities company. I was amazed when a key person on the evaluation panel told me she had attended the awards and seen me pick up QCF Window Cleaning Manager of the Year. I thought that was good timing! And it just goes to show - you never know who might be in the audience at these awards.’

Contact details for courses:

David Willis of Impact43

Enterprise House, Unit 17 & 17a Redstone Industrial Estate

Boston, Lincolnshire, PE21 8EA, UK

Tel: (01205) 364333

Fax: (01205) 205300

Mob: 07984 365917

Email: david.willis@impact43.com

Web: www.training43.com

Impact 43: The Window Cleaning Training Consultancy

As promised more video from the Federation of window Cleaners show in Blackpool. Here is David Willis, the training manager for Impact43 training group, a working at height training consultancy.

Are you a window cleaner? If you are, you’ll probably agree with the following:

• There’s far more to window cleaning than most people realize
• It’s rated as one of the most dangerous ways of making a living
• It’s not just a ‘ladder and bucket’ job – it often involves using and understanding complex equipment

Sadly, few members of the public are aware of the fact that present-day window cleaning is a professional occupation – an occupation that merits respect. If you’re a window cleaner, you can help change that attitude by gaining an NVQ qualification. A qualification that is City and Guild recognised, that gives your customers and clients solid proof of your competency, and that gives you valuable training. Your NVQ will provide you with up to date, cutting-edge information covering all aspects of the window cleaning profession. It will be informative without being mind-numbing, and having gained your qualification you’ll be able to help employees and employers understand the legal implications of getting safety management wrong! The course is conducted during normal working hours, actually on your own customers’ sites – so there’s no disruption to your normal working day. And what’s more, it’s free! That’s right. It won’t cost you a penny.
In the current climate, when cost-cutting is a priority, the fact that you have a professional qualification will give your customers confidence, and ensure they stay with a reliable and professional window cleaner. So what are you waiting for? Why not be the first in your area to achieve an NVQ – and help enhance the reputation of your profession!

Find out more about Impact 43 training here & track employees & companies of the Clean Safe Partnership here.

One more reason to think about training......

PHILADELPHIA - A lift-platform operator has died after he fell 125 feet to a Philadelphia street. Three bystanders also suffered injuries in the collapse that happened at 21st and Walnut streets around 1:30 p.m. Monday. Slideshow: Images From Scene.
"It was like a boom and then it sounded like a lot of things just dropping and breaking. And then we heard a woman screaming," said Gayle Sproul, an attorney whose office is across the street. The 21-ton boom lift on a large truck was working on a church when it fell, hitting a building across the street on the way down. "I'm in disbelief. I couldn't believe it," said witness Bruce Hornung. "It hits the side of the building there, which in turn, the bricks hit the car, and then it just drops right on top of the sidewalk, five feet from the car." The platform fell to the ground with the 40-year-old operator, later identified as James Wilon, still in its basket. "He landed outside of that orange basket on top of that truck, between the arm of the mirror and the window, and he looked awful," Hornung said.
It appears one of the truck's tires fell into a compromised fiber-optic utility box beneath the sidewalk, causing the entire rig to tip. "The weight of the lift cracked the cover, and it shifted the lift. Once the lift shifted, it caused the boom, the entire arm, to also jerk and then to basically fall across the street because it's 120 feet long," L&I Commissioner Fran Burns said. Falling debris hurt three other people, including a woman who was standing on a sidewalk near the florist and two people inside the car that was struck by bricks and had its windshield shattered. All of the victims were rushed to Hahnemann University Hospital. The man died shortly after, while the other three were said to have minor injuries. "It's really lucky that it's Columbus Day because the traffic is really limited," Sproul said. "The angle of the way it came down it would have just flattened anything on the sidewalk."
Crews began attempting to remove the lift from the street around 6 p.m. The intersection was closed for the entire evening. The city's L&I department as well as inspectors from other agencies are investigating how the collapse happened. "We're most saddened, of course, by the loss of life," Mayor Michael Nutter said at the scene. "I'm really sorry to hear about this," said Neil Rawlerson, a co-worker of the man who died. "We rushed down here as soon as we heard about it." Rawlerson described Wilson as "a safety oriented guy, you know, always trying to be doing thtings the proper way and making sure all the safety procedures and what-not are followed, as far as I could tell."