The Cleaning Industry Trainer’s Guild’s (CITG) focus is to spread the word about best practices that enhance the health and safety of building occupants and custodial workers. The Guild advocates a standardized cleaning curriculum delivery system. Each member organization implements this program within its own organization. The program curriculum, based on the science of cleaning as taught at Janitor University, hinges on results pointed out in the landmark University of North Carolina study by Dr. Mike Berry. Berry’s study quantifies the difference between traditional housekeeping methods and scientifically cleaning; polluting vs. truly cleaning.
The program is especially significant in the $120 billion industry of janitorial services because both building service contractors (BSC) and in-house custodial staff must simultaneously be cost effective, environmentally conscious, health and security oriented while addressing the needs of building occupants.
Jim Motyka, was elected the first president of the (CITG) in 2006. He had two items on his original straight forward agenda. “Cleaning for health is first and foremost. The other big thing, is to treat janitors as first class citizens.” At the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Motyka is responsible for teaching the (OS1)® system to 120 full time and student custodians who work in the dining commons. Their Auxiliary Services is the only (OS1) Green Certified cleaning program in Massachusetts.
Motyka, who utilizes the cleaning program pioneered by ManageMen, Inc., knows firsthand how well the program stresses cleaning for health first. He sees the difference in treating workers as informed, fully trained professionals. He also knows how this particular training and cleaning method produces measurable, sustainable results.
As (CITG) president, Motyka takes this personal experience and oversees bringing together (OS1) trainers from different companies and industries who are engaged in in-service training provided by management to promote professionalism in cleaning. Motyka gives an example. “Everything we do in Auxiliary Services is standardized. You can take an employee from buildings miles apart, and the employee will be able to grab a cart and get to work. We have a wealth of knowledge from cleaning professionals gathered over the 13 years since the implementation of (OS1) at UMass.”
The (CITG) group includes the trainers and organizations dedicated to the Janitor University Philosophy of Cleaning. Trainers receive regular updates on developments in training and coaching cleaning worker organizations. This includes the following types of information in the (CITG) sponsored publication the Cleaning Industry Gazette:
• Cleaning Program Updates
• Recommended Training events
• Benchmarking data
• New program materials
• Insider information on cleaning techniques
• FAQs
• Professional training techniques
• “John’s Toolbox” information
• Best practice updates
• Information of problems and controversies in the cleaning industry
• Cleaning standards
The (CITG) committed as a group to keeping the fire going that was ignited at the Train the Trainer workshop at Walt Disney World in May, 2006. It is their stated goal to support the skills growth of the cleaning industry trainers and the programs they administer.