ISSA, the worldwide cleaning industry association, has launched the Cleaning Industry Training Standard (CITS), a training certification program for frontline professionals and organizations in the cleaning industry.

Developed as a sister program to ISSA’s Cleaning Industry Management Standard (CIMS), CITS has been designed specifically to help address the need for training, improved professionalism, and increased pride across all segments of the cleaning industry. 

“The CITS program furthers ISSA’s initiative to change the way the world views cleaning,” said Dan Wagner, ISSA facility services director. “With the CIMS and CITS programs in place, we can now take a more holistic approach to addressing the needs of the cleaning industry. Where CIMS focuses on the management of an entire organization, CITS focuses specifically on the training of frontline cleaning professionals.” 

The program offers valuable benefits for manufacturers, manufacturer representatives, distributors, building service contractors, in-house service providers, and other key industry players, with an additional overarching goal of strengthening customer relationships between these organizations. ISSA/Interclean North America, Nov. 4 to 7, in Orlando, Fla., will serve as a venue for an in-person seminar on the CITS program. Sign up for this informative session or stop by the CITS booth in the ISSA Resource Center, Booth 1281, at the show to learn more.

CITS was developed through a consensus-based process driven by the priorities of facility service providers representing key market sectors, including health care, education, and government. The development committee included experts from such top institutions as the City of Toronto; the University of Maryland; the University of Georgia; the Cleaning Management Institute; the American Institute for Cleaning Sciences; Spartan Chemical Co.; and Sealed Air Diversey Care.

How It Works

CITS consists of three major components designed to incorporate the entire industry:

• Training Programs/Curriculum Verification. Training program providers (manufacturers, manufacturer representatives, distributors, facility service providers, and associated trainers) can have their training content verified to CITS requirements by submitting their programs to an assessor who verifies that all of the standards have been met. A CITS-verified program is backed by ISSA’s credentials and validates your commitment to the success of your organization and the industry as a whole. 

• Accreditation of Professional Trainers. A train-the-trainer workshop is available to help professionals sharpen their skills and achieve the Accredited Certification Trainer (A.C.T.) designation. Certified individuals are eligible to deliver CITS training, proctor and grade exams, and issue CITS certification.  The first A.C.T workshop will be held in January 2015, and subsequent workshops will be held in conjunction with CIMS ISSA Certification Expert (I.C.E.) workshops through 2015. The CIMS I.C.E. certification is a pre-requisite for the A.C.T. program.