Skills Programme
Strategic Goal: If you want to progress your learning at Fresh Desk, you will have the opportunity to do so in the Skills Programme.
We were inspired by Christchurch-based futurist Alice Dimond at Tokona Te Raki who shared her foresight about the future of work. Alice’s work on Skills Bridges (above) links work skills, income and growth to show a way forward. Read the full report here Nau mai te Anamata.
Skills Bridges to Build a Business
Cleaners wanting to cross a Skills Bridge start with a New Zealand Certificate in Cleaning. The learning outcomes are cleaning skills, infection prevention, customer service, health and safety, and supervision skills.
How might we extend a Skills Bridge even further, and build a cleaning business?
Check out Josiah cleaning at Toitū Te Whenua LINZ for a change!
In 2024 we Built that Bridge
How we achieved it
What we did: Fresh Desk piloted a project applying the Skills Bridges framework to the cleaning sector.
We identified a gap at the second Skills Bridge - what skills were needed for cleaners to level up into running their own business?
Provided pro bono mentoring over 6 months to Pradeep Bakthavatsalam and Subasri Karthikeyan.
Handed on one customer to Fab following an auspice period.
Learned from the pilot and improved our mentoring offering.
Pradeep and Suba launched Fab Cleaning Service.
Fab is generating positive cash flow from three customers.
Impact Statement
Goal: Cleaners who wish to do so, can run their own cleaning business.
The Return on Investment is estimated upwards of $50,000 in benefit to the community and the New Zealand economy.
Evidence: Fab cleaning follows quality employment best practice, paying Living Wage to staff and using Eco Choice Aotearoa cleaning products.
Conclusion: The pilot proved successful, and scalable. Participants have gone “from WINZ to grins” into self-employment, and potentially into creating jobs for others.
Keen to Support this Mahi?
We know modern slavery and migrant exploitation are issues for some companies in the cleaning sector in Aotearoa. Working to dismantle modern slavery, Fresh Desk promotes good working conditions.
Now we’d like to provide a pathway to workplace self determination for cleaners who want to run their own cleaning business.
We’d love to scale this pilot into other regions so we’re looking to align with others. Ideally we’d love to work with:
a government agency, and
a training provider, and
a corporate customer. Please get in touch if this is you!
Human Rights (Anti Modern Slavery) Policy
