Don’t Wait: Charter Your Future Today!

Ceris Burns shares her path to becoming a Chartered Practitioner in Environmental Cleaning to inspire and guide your own journey

Is getting chartered status on your radar? Taking that first step might feel like a big leap – but chances are, you’re closer than you think. We often underestimate just how much we’ve already achieved – and forget to give ourselves the credit we deserve. Going through the process of becoming a chartered professional is a great moment to take stock, recognise just how far you’ve come and refresh your ways of working.

Applying to be a Chartered Practitioner in Environmental Cleaning  gave me the chance to look back and reflect on my career. After over three decades in international business-to-business PR and marketing, including 21 years championing the cleaning, FM, and environmental sectors, it hit me how many achievements had almost fallen off the radar. Together with the CBI team, I’ve helped brands like The British Institute of Cleaning Science (BICSc), CBRE Property Management, i-team Global, and Jangro raise their profile, launch innovations, and navigate some fairly challenging terrain. You might be surprised how tricky it is to remember your own milestones, but they are there, and they matter.

As with many professions, individuals working in the cleaning sector – one of the ten biggest and most important industries in the UK – have the opportunity to pursue Chartered status. Since 2021, The Worshipful Company of Environmental Cleaners is honoured to hold the Royal Charter to enable it to award individuals the status of Chartered Practitioner in Environmental Cleaning. It has since quickly become a hallmark of excellence in the sector.

As an active, long-term member of the Livery, who values our profession and recently completed the process, I’m keen to encourage others to pursue accreditation. For those thinking about applying for chartered status, here are my three takeaways:

1. Chartered Doesn’t Have to Be Complicated

The Chartered Practitioner Select Committee provides regular virtual workshops with guidance about the scheme. You don’t have to be a livery member to apply. You also don’t need to have been a directly operational cleaning professional or have actual practical cleaning skills. What’s important is that you are able to demonstrate your level of competence and its application in the cleaning industry. The first step for interested individuals is to complete an Expression of Interest document.

The journey to becoming chartered differs depending on your experience, with two routes. You can take the Individual Pathway to Chartership, where you complete a submission of up to 10,000 words. This covers five key elements – your knowledge, practical skills, communication, leadership, and professional commitment. Ten years’ management experience is required, with the last five years at a senior level. Once you begin, the words will come easier than you think! In fact, the cleaning industry is one of the few where you can start with no formal qualifications and work your way up in the industry into owning a multi-million-pound business.

There’s also the Standard Pathway where you upload evidence of the recognised qualifications or hold five years operational cleaning industry experience with at least two years where you demonstrate you are at the Chartered competency level in another field or sector. This is the option I took, thanks to my degrees in International Marketing, Languages, and Fine Art. Each route includes an online interview, with the assessment panel and members of the Select Committee including a presentation to demonstrate your competency across all the five key elements.

2. Make time and start the process

Whatever the pathway, committing to the chartered programme offers formal recognition of your skills that you can be proud of, that your clients will recognise and value and an indicator of professional status to future employers. For those at an early stage in the industry, there really is no better way to develop skills and grow. We can all be guilty of putting ourselves at the bottom of the daily to-do list. Simply taking the time to reflect on your career is a worthwhile exercise, and I found it surprisingly useful.

3. Set goals for continuing professional development

Chartered status is not something you achieve and then forget about – it’s a commitment to staying current. The pace of technological evolution demands that professionals don’t just keep up; we must stay ahead. You can stay updated through various channels, including keeping up to date with industry news, podcasts, webinars, cleaning industry events and networking. Use the five key elements – knowledge, practical skills, communication, leadership, and professional commitment as a guide for ongoing growth. Evidence of continuous professional development is a key criterion to retain your Chartered status, be able to continue using the post-nominals, and remain on the Chartered Practitioners Register.

Beyond your own professional development, pursuing chartered status helps reshape perceptions of the cleaning sector as a respected and impactful profession. Together, we can inspire younger generations to the industry as a dynamic and fulfilling career path. Please do visit the Worshipful Company of Environmental Cleaners website (www.wc-ec.com) or get in touch with the Chartered Practitioners Committee (email CPR@wc-ec.com) to learn more about the Award.