Industrial cleaner

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

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

• 2 or fewer GCSEs at grades 3 to 1 (D to G), or equivalent, for a level 1 course
• 2 or more GCSEs at grades 9 to 3 (A* to D), or equivalent, for a level 2 course

More Information

• equivalent entry requirements
• funding advice
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You could specialise in working in hospitals and medical centres by doing a healthcare cleaning operative intermediate apprenticeship.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

• some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship

More Information

• equivalent entry requirements
• guide to apprenticeships

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

You can do specialist training through The British Institute of Cleaning Science.

Registration

• you'll need a Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) card or equivalent to train and work on a construction site

Career tips

A driving licence might be useful for this type of job.

Further information

You can find out more about careers in this area from The British Institute of Cleaning Science. 

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

You'll need to:

• be able to cope with working at height

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

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.