Skills Proficiency Awards in Basic Housekeeping Services, 2005
Skills Proficiency Awards in Basic Housekeeping Services, 2005
Skills Proficiency Awards in Basic Housekeeping Services, 2005
in Basic Housekeeping
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Skills Proficiency awards
in Basic Housekeeping
Services
Skills Foundation Certificate 3528
Skills Proficiency Certificate 3529
Syllabus
Assessments
Programme guidance notes
09.05/PO4500003492/ST89242
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Contents
We do not say the amount of time a candidate would need to carry out the
programme. We award certificates and diplomas for gaining and showing skills by
whatever mode of study, and not for periods of time spent in study.
It provides all the information required to understand and take part in the Skills
Proficiency awards, and conduct suitable training and assessment in accordance with
City & Guilds’ regulations, policy and practice.
Qualification approval
We give approval to offer a training and assessment course based on this syllabus.
Approved centres must provide suitable facilities for taking practical assessments,
secure places to keep assessment materials, and will have an appointed external
verifier to review practical work.
After we have received and accepted an application, we will send an approval letter
confirming this.
City & Guilds reserves the right to suspend an approved centre, or withdraw its
approval to conduct City & Guilds programmes, for reasons of debt, malpractice or for
any reason that may be detrimental to the maintenance of authentic, reliable and valid
qualifications or that may prejudice the name of City & Guilds.
Numbering system
We use a numbering system to allow entries to be made for our awards.
To carry out what is needed for the Skills Proficiency awards in Basic Housekeeping
Services, candidates must be successful in one of the following assessments:
3528-51-511 Skills Foundation Certificate
3529-51-511 Skills Proficiency Certificate
We use these numbers throughout this booklet. You must use these numbers
correctly if you send forms to us.
Internal candidates
Candidates can enter for assessments if they are taking or have already finished a
course at a school, college or similar training institution that has directed their
preparation, whether by going to a training centre, working with another institution,
or by open-learning methods.
External candidates
These are candidates who have not finished a programme as described above. To be
eligible for assessment external candidates must be able to provide suitable
evidence of previous training or work experience through which the required
competencies have been demonstrated on more than one occasion in the past. The
assessment centres must receive their application for assessment well before the
date of the assessment concerned. This allows them to act on any advice you give
about assessment arrangements or any further preparation needed.
External candidates must meet all the requirements for the assessment.
In this publication we use the term ‘centre’ to mean a school, college, place of work
or other institution.
If candidates successfully finish all the requirements for the Skills Proficiency award
at a specific level, they will receive the appropriate certificate.
We will also send you a results list showing how all candidates performed.
Programme coordinator
The person in the training centre responsible for ensuring that:
• printouts sent by City & Guilds are correct
• results are sent to City & Guilds in accordance with specified procedures
• all interested parties are notified of assessment dates well in advance
• candidates and centre staff fully understand their role and responsibilities
• facilities and equipment are available so that assessments can be conducted in
accordance with City & Guilds requirements
• documents received from City & Guilds are securely stored
• results and/or certificates are properly issued to candidates at the centre
• monitoring the work of assessors.
Assessor
The primary role of an assessor is to assess candidates’ performance and related
knowledge in a range of tasks and to ensure that the competence/knowledge
demonstrated meets the requirements of the programme. Assessors will therefore
need to have occupational experience in the vocational area to be assessed.
They will also need to be familiar with the candidates whom they are assessing; so
assessors are likely to be the candidates’ own instructors, who are best able to
decide when individuals are able to perform competently, and therefore are ready to
be formally assessed for the award.
External verifier
External verifiers are appointed by City & Guilds for specific programmes to ensure
that all assessments undertaken within City & Guilds centres are fair, valid,
consistent and meet the requirements of the programme.
When you assess a candidate’s needs, you should design training programmes
that consider:
• has the candidate completed any previous education, training or qualifications?
• does the candidate have any previous practical experience which is relevant to the
aims of the programme and from which they may have learned the relevant skills
and knowledge?
As long as the candidates meet the aims of this learning programme the structure of
the course of training is up to you. So, it is possible to include extra topics that meet
local needs.
Practical work must be carefully planned both to illustrate the application of theory
and to provide exercises of skill. The maximum opportunity must be provided for
workshop practice and demonstrations. As far as possible, candidates must be able
to apply their theoretical knowledge to practical work within a realistic work
environment. Candidates should keep records of the practical work they do so they
can refer to it at a later date.
For example:
1.2 Apply good housekeeping practices at all times.
Practices: clean/tidy work areas, removal/disposal of waste products,
protect surfaces
In the above statement the word ‘practices’ is given as a range which the candidate
should be familiar with. If a range starts with the abbreviation ‘eg’ the candidates
only need to cover some of the ranged areas or you can use suitable alternatives.
The end of each unit contains practical assessments which deal with the practical
competences. Candidates must carry out the practical assessments either in a real
or a simulated work environment.
We describe these assessments as ‘free date’ because they are carried out at a college
or other training establishment on a date or over a period which the college chooses.
The competence checklist (tick boxes) serves as the marking criteria for
these assessments and should be used by the assessor/instructor to record the
outcome of each candidate’s performance.
The use of local legislation, tools, equipment and practices is allowed within the
specifications of the ‘range’ supporting each practical competence statement.
The results of the assessment must be documented and available for audit by the
external verifier.
All assessments must be completed in the context of one specific job role in which
the candidate is working, or for which the candidate is being trained. The context
must be stated on each candidate’s assessment record.
The practical assessments for these awards are not suitable for entirely classroom-
based teaching. Candidates must demonstrate competence in
a realistic work environment.
Candidates must be able to show that they can perform the required tasks to the
standards that would be expected if they were actually working in industry. This is
likely to include factors such as the time taken to complete the tasks and the quality
of any products produced. In addition to demonstrating practical skills, candidates
will have to show that they can cope with psychological and environmental
conditions of real work, eg pressures and consequences of producing products for
customers, working with other people, planning and organising work, following
procedures, and dealing with variations and problems that may occur in performing
the specified tasks.
All practical assessments should be supervised and assessors should make sure that
the results reflect the candidate’s own performance. Separate records must be kept
of the dates of all attempts by each candidate.
The candidate should be informed of the result as soon as possible. If he/she does
not meet the standard of ‘competent’ in any of the practical requirements, the
decision of either immediate resit or further practice must be taken.
The programme coordinator must arrange in advance with their local City & Guilds
office to obtain the underpinning knowledge questions and candidate record sheets
required for conducting the oral assessment. He/she is responsible for ensuring that
all oral questioning materials are kept securely and the assessments conducted in
accordance with City & Guilds requirements.
Please refer to the section Oral questioning in the Guide to the assessment of
practical skills contained in this booklet.
You must keep all assessment documentation and material in a file for each candidate
until the results have been agreed by the external verifier and until confirmation of the
result has been received from City & Guilds. You must hold all the evidence for a
minimum of six months and candidate records for a minimum of three years.
After results have been confirmed, copies of assessment documentation other than
Form S may be returned to candidates.
Centres must ensure that due attention is paid to safety and safe working practices
during ALL practical assessments.
Candidates should not be allowed to continue with the test if acting in an unsafe manner.
We will make sure that our centres use an equal opportunities policy that works
together with ours, and that they maintain an effective appeals procedure.
We will expect centres to tell candidates how to find and use their own equal
opportunities policy and appeals procedure.
Candidates achieving this award at Skills Proficiency Certificate level will be eligible
to apply for assessment in relevant units within 7068 IVQ in Accommodation
Operations and Services at Certificate level.
Introduction
The aim of this module is to introduce the candidate to:
a safe working within their own area of work
b the prevention of hazards
c basic cleaning techniques and correct use of chemicals
d basic use of cleaning equipment
e working with other people in a service environment.
The use of national/local regulations and working practices must be included in all
practical competences.
Practical competences
Health and Safety
1.1 Wear appropriate protective clothing at all times.
1.6 Locate and identify various types of fire fighting equipment and state their uses.
Customer Contact
1.8 Present self positively and in accordance with establishments standards.
Standards: personal hygiene, grooming, dress
1.16 Clean ceilings and walls using appropriate methods and materials.
Knowledge requirements
Oral questioning should be used to provide evidence of the candidate’s knowledge of:
Customer Contact
1.10 Personal characteristics required of staff to perform successful customer care.
Characteristics: politeness, promptness, willingness to assist
Housekeeping Services
1.16 Basic reasons for cleaning and ways in which soiling occurs.
Reasons: appearance, customer expectations, extending life of
surfaces/furnishings
Cleaning: external, internal
Introduction
The aim of this module is to enable the candidate to:
a maintain safe working conditions
b adopt safe procedures for themselves and others
c carry out cleaning procedures
d organise and carry out cleaning activities effectively
e interact with customers when providing services.
The use of national/local regulations and working practices must be included in all
practical competences.
Practical competences
Health and Safety
2.1 Select and use protective clothing and safety equipment for specific tasks.
2.2 Carry out safe working practices to prevent hazards and to ensure the safety of
working personnel and members of the public.
2.3 Inspect for faults, set up and safely use equipment in general use.
Customer Contact
2.7 Provide appropriate information and assistance to customers.
Housekeeping Services
2.11 Organise cleaning tasks effectively.
Knowledge requirements
Oral questioning should be used to provide evidence of the candidate’s knowledge of:
2.2 Purpose and use of protective clothing and safety equipment for a range
of applications.
2.5 Preventative and remedial actions to be taken in the case of exposure to toxic
substances.
Exposure: ingested, contact with skin, inhaled
Preventative action: ventilation, masks, protective clothing/equipment
Remedial action: immediate first aid, report to supervisor
Housekeeping Services
2.14 Methods of controlling soiling.
Cleaning: schedules, examples
Restrictions: movement people/equipment, dust control mats,
soil retarding/resistant of finishes
Instructions
One complete set of competence achievement records must be provided for
each candidate being assessed. The following section contains competence
achievement records for both the Skills Foundation Certificate and the Skills
Proficiency Certificate programmes.
The assessor should confirm achievement of each requirement with a tick in the
appropriate box and note the date of achievement. The candidate should also initial
and date each requirement to confirm the successful completion of the assessment.
Upon completion of all requirements for the award the competence assessment
record must be dated and signed by the candidate, assessor and external verifier
before results can be submitted and certification requested.
Context:
This is to confirm that the candidate has successfully completed the required tasks:
Completion date
Customer Contact
2.7 Provide appropriate information and
assistance to customers.
2.8 Refer customers to the appropriate
contact where necessary.
2.9 Use appropriate security procedures
with regard to guests’ belongings.
2.10 Report incidents in accordance with
establishment procedures.
Housekeeping Services
2.11 Organise cleaning tasks effectively.
2.12 Work effectively and co-operatively
in team situations.
2.13 Use appropriate health and hygiene
practices.
Context:
This is to confirm that the candidate has successfully completed the required tasks:
Completion date
The performance outcomes in the competence checklist are often stated as activities
performed to a particular standard, that can be observed by the assessor. The
outcomes may also require assessment of practical skills through appraisal of
products, objects made by the candidate in the course of the activity being assessed.
Assessor skills
We do not require assessors to have a formal qualification in assessment, although
we do ask centres to confirm that all staff involved in teaching programmes are
appropriately qualified, as part of the centre approval process. We reserve the right
to check this, and we moderate the quality of assessor performance through the
external verifier.
Personal skills are related to the assessor’s behaviour towards candidates during the
observation. Although assessors need to be objective, they must also be supportive.
During the assessment, the assessor should focus on one activity at a time. The
candidate may be performing activities in a sequential order. The assessor must
watch for each activity as it happens, in sequence, and make a judgment quickly and
decisively, in order to be prepared to move to the next observable activity. If assessing
one candidate at a time, the assessor can follow the activities in a sequence.
If the answer to these questions is ‘yes’, then the assessor should be confident about
recording successful achievement.
In best practice, the assessment process is a natural part of the learning programme,
is cost-effective and fair, and is held in respect by all involved.
The first stage is to be clear about what has to be assessed. What is the candidate
being asked to do, show, know, produce – to what standard and under what
conditions? This information can also come from lesson plans. A good lesson plan
will have specific achievements as the outcome of the lesson or series of lessons.
The meaning of the outcome must be understood and agreed as part of the planning
process. Some outcomes are intentionally written to allow for local interpretation
according to particular circumstances. The training programme should provide
opportunities to discuss all the possible interpretations and to consider why
different companies have different policies and why practices can vary from country
to country. It will also focus on what is most appropriate for the particular situation in
which the candidates are working.
The assessment plan must involve the selection of assessment methods that are
valid and reliable, cost-effective, achievable in terms of time and resources and
which cover the competences to be assessed.
City & Guilds has a policy that all of its assessments should be fair and accessible. The
practical assessments are not a test of English, or indeed any other language, unless
knowledge and use of specific terminology is an essential part of the job in question.
The assessor must explain any instructions or performance objectives that a
candidate does not understand before the assessment takes place.
The external verifier will want to know what plan was used to arrive at the practical
assessment results.
Before the assessment takes place, it is essential to brief the candidates. This can
be done as a group, or individually. Observing performance is not intended to be an
examination, or cause candidates undue stress. It should never be a surprise,
unannounced activity.
Each candidate needs to know what will happen if the decision is ‘not yet achieved
the standard required’. Candidates should be able to attempt the activity again,
after the assessor has explained what evidence is still needed.
Example:
Practical competences
The candidate must be able to do the following:
1.3 Assemble and finish components to form basic products
Here the instructor uses the competence checklist to plan a set of activities that will
allow the candidate to demonstrate competence in the required practical skills. Often
this will involve using equipment in a workshop. It may involve working outside.
Workshop activities are particularly useful in the early stages of assessing practical
skills and can be used in combination with work placement. To reduce the risk of
candidates making mistakes that have a real value, workshop activities can be used to
practice highly technical skills until both the trainer and the candidate are confident
that the task can be performed safely and competently in a real work situation.
Workshop practice, combined with work experience, is also useful where there is a
high element of risk or where the relationship between customer and customer
satisfaction is immediate and critical.
Although it can contribute to the demonstration of practical skills and has its
advantages in certain situations, to rely on workshop activities alone for the
assessment of practical skills has several disadvantages. It does not give the candidate
the opportunity to experience a work environment and therefore it is only possible to
infer that if the candidate were in a workplace, then probably the candidate
would perform the task competently based on successful performance under
observed conditions in the workshop, or while carrying out practical tasks.
Supplementary questions
An additional technique for supporting formative assessment is to use
supplementary questions. The instructor may observe a candidate performing
correctly, but want to know whether the candidate is likely to always perform in such a
way. Supplementary questions can be used to probe specific areas of a candidate’s
knowledge, about which there may be some doubt, or where the possession of
knowledge is critical.
Supplementary questions must be relevant to the task, and must have been
covered in the training. It is unfair to ask about things that have not been taught. A
variety of supplementary questions may be used and different questions can be
used with different candidates, although questions should be similar in construction
and degree of difficulty.
Supplementary questions should be planned to ensure they are relevant and fair.
Open questions should be used, which require the candidate to supply the answer.
Closed questions, which require only ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ answers, should be avoided.
Oral questioning
By asking every candidate the same set of questions, requiring a spoken response,
the assessor obtains evidence of underpinning knowledge to support assessment of
each candidate’s practical skills. By using the same set of questions for each
candidate the same demand is made of each candidate. This is important if more
than one person is involved in the training and assessment of candidates.
The set of questions asked to every candidate is useful evidence to give to the
external verifier to support the completed competence checklists. The external
verifier may use the same questions to randomly check candidates’ knowledge.
In oral questioning the assessor is looking for the ability of the person to give the
required knowledge, using speech. The ability to speak well (clearly, varied pitch and
pace, well constructed sentences) should not be the purpose of the assessment. If
candidates struggle to speak well, assessors should consider alternative, more
appropriate assessment methods.
Resistance to assessment is more serious. The candidate may resist for a number of
reasons, ranging from nerves (encouragement should be offered), to not
understanding what is required or not being able to perform the tasks (they should
be explained again, and review the learning programme to identify gaps).
Resistance may occur because the candidate does not have confidence in the
assessor’s ability to make a fair judgment. This may be because the assessor:
• has not briefed the candidate properly
• is untrained and/or does not demonstrate an understanding of the process
• has consistently criticised the candidate’s performance and has not offered
constructive training and support.
Feedback should always be a one to one conversation between the candidate and
the assessor. The assessor should have a completed record sheet available to show
to the candidate.
The approach to feedback should be open and constructive and avoid unfriendliness
or intimidation. The purpose of assessment is to find out what a person can do; it
should not be a means to find fault or catch the candidate out through unexpected
tasks and deliberately difficult questions.
A good way of beginning feedback would be to start by saying ‘well done’ and
then asking for the candidate’s evaluation on their own performance. This
approach immediately involves the candidate in the feedback process, showing
value and respect.
At no time should the assessor feel under pressure to say that something
has been successfully achieved when it has not.
The assessor should explain what parts of an activity were done well, even if overall
performance did not meet the required outcome. It is necessary to explain
objectively which specific outcomes were not achieved, and why, and to be able to
give examples of what could be done to achieve a successful outcome. During the
assessment notes should be taken so that there is a written record of objective
observations to give to the candidate during the feedback session.
A candidate is most likely to become upset or aggressive if the result is not understood,
or considered to be unfair. Remain calm, objective and supportive. Keep talking to the
candidate until agreement to listen has been reached. Subjective expressions like ‘I
think that…..’ or ‘In my opinion you should have…’ should be avoided.
It is essential to agree with the candidate what the future action will be. If the
outcome of the assessment activity is the successful completion of all competence
requirements, the next stage is to inform the candidate that the successful
performance will be recorded and registered with City & Guilds. If the outcome is
that some of the tasks have not yet been achieved, discuss what still needs to be
practiced, and when an opportunity can be given to repeat the assessment.
Introduction
It is recommended that candidates who are thinking about employment in this
sector should prepare themselves for employment by following a course of study or
other form of preparation based on the following activities.
4 Find out about documents that may be required for a job application and
reasons for including them.
Documents: eg curriculum vitae, education certificates, identification
Problem-solving skills
18 Practice organising and planning multiple tasks, using various resources such
as time, personnel and materials.
Introduction
Going to work for the first time can be exciting and a bit strange. It can sometimes be
dangerous. This is true whether you work in a factory or an office or on a farm or
building site. Fortunately most dangers are recognisable and can be avoided.
Your own workplace will also have its own safety rules – perhaps in a booklet or on a
notice board. Some you will be told. Make sure you know and obey them.
Tidiness
Keep work areas and walk ways tidy and clear. Do not leave things lying around which
people can trip over or bump into. Wet patches on the floor should be mopped up
straight away or some one might slip and fall.
Hygiene
Always wash your hands, using soap and water or a suitable cleanser, before meals
and before and after using the toilet.
It is recommended that you use barrier cream to protect your skin when you are
doing dirty jobs.
Dry your hands carefully on the towels and driers provided. Do not wipe them on old
rags or on your clothes.
Use the walk ways provided and never take short cuts.
Look out for and obey warning notices and safety signs.
Never hitch a ride on a vehicle not made to carry passengers. Do not stand on a fork
lift truck or on a tractor trailer drawbar.
Get help if you are not sure you can lift or carry something safely and easily by
yourself. Use trolleys or wheelbarrows where these are provided.
Ladders
Do not use ladders with split, missing or loose rungs. Use proper ladders.
Always make sure that the ladder is placed in the right position, at the right angle and
cannot slip.
If working from a ladder, do not lean too far to the side, come down and move the
ladder to a more convenient place.
Always use ladders, scaffolding or lifts to reach high places. Never hitch a lift in a
crane bucket or on the forks of a lift truck.
Roofs
Roofs may be fragile or the tiles loose. Never go on to a roof unless you are told to do
so by your supervisor and have been shown the precautions you should take.
Compressed air
Only use compressed air when your supervisor tells you to.
Electricity
Remember electricity can kill or cause severe burns. Treat it with care.
Make sure you understand your supervisor’s instructions before using any electrical
equipment. It you do not understand, ask your supervisor to show you again.
Machinery
Operate only machines you have been trained to use and told to use.
Make sure you can reach the controls easily and know how to stop any machine
you use.
Wait until a machine has stopped and has been switched off before you clean or
clear it. Dangling chains or loose clothing could get caught up in the moving parts.
Keep long hair tucked under a cap or tied back.
Tell your supervisor at once if you think a machine is not working properly.
Harmful substances
Learn to recognise the hazard warning signs or labels which tell you about the type
of danger. They should tell you if a substance is poisonous, easily set on fire, or can
cause burns.
Before you use a substance, find out what to do if it spills onto your skin or clothes.
If you are splashed with a chemical wash it off at once in the way your have been
shown. Then report to your supervisor or whoever is responsible for first aid.
Do not put liquids and substances into unlabelled or wrongly labelled bottles and
containers such as lemonade bottles or empty tins. This can be dangerous to
everyone you work with.
Fire
Take care when handling petrol or other flammable substances. Keep them away
from naked flames or sparks. Do not smoke.
Do not throw rubbish or cigarette ends and matches in corners, or under benches.
First aid
Make sure you know the first aid arrangements for your workplace.
Always be careful.
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