Government is helping some unemployed Bermudians brush up on their cleaning skills to help them find work.

A two-week training course teaching students about basic types of cleaning agents, as well as “soft skills” training such as time management and work ethics, kicked off last week.

The ‘Custodial Technician Certification’ course was developed after it was recognised that the cleaning industry employed a high level of foreign workers.

Home Affairs Minister Michael Fahy said the initiative was “aimed at getting Bermudians back to work”.

“Our immigration data indicates that the issuance of work permits in the custodial field is quite high,” said Mr. Fahy.

“So we have tasked the Department of Workforce Development to identify areas in the job market where we can realistically introduce training courses to equip Bermudians with the necessary skills to assume these jobs in our workforce.

“We have introduced similar training courses in the past, such as the butcher’s programme and the automotive repair technicians programme and we have had some relative success with those. So the public can expect to see more initiatives like this in the future and we encourage those who are seeking employment to sign up with the Department of Workforce Development so that they can take advantage of our training programmes when they become available.”

The course, which has 12 students, is being overseen by the Department of Workforce Development which has engaged the New York-based Cleaning Management Institute to conduct the training as well as local cleaning firms Bermuda Cleaning, Pro-Tone Cleaning Services Ltd., Do All Cleaning, Ace Cleaning, and Marshall’s Maintenance.

At the end of the course, which is being held at Bermuda College, successful students will be awarded the Front Line Certification, which is recognised throughout North America.