Chantelle, what is your role within the Principality Stadium team?

It depends on where I’m needed: sometimes I could be cleaning, or be a kitchen porter, a litter picker, a lifts operator, or a waste operator – it’s very varied!

What do you enjoy most about working with the company?

It has allowed me to work alone or as part of a team, so connections with others, meeting new friends, and building my CV.

What skills or qualities would you say you need to do your job well?

Good communication, flexibility and excellent time keeping.

Would you recommend it to others?

I have already recommended the role to my friends and family.

An industry full of opportunity

Chantelle is a student. That’s not the background of everyone on the team, but the work has many weekend shifts, and is popular with younger people who want to work flexibly and earn some extra money. 

For those who want to make a full career in commercial cleaning, as a sector there are opportunities many are unaware of, with emerging trends and technologies including operatives learning to control drones and robots for more and more tasks.

Cleaning is a core element of Facilities Management (FM), an industry which “…thrives on and rewards the ambition, can-do attitudes and proactive contributions of its workforce.” At AQS we believe in helping our colleagues develop and reach their potential by investing time in their futures.

What do you enjoy most about working with the company?

Leila: I’d definitely say the people. It’s a great working environment.

Gareth: I agree, the team are really friendly and it’s very flexible work. Due to the variety of tasks we do, it’s really enjoyable.

What skills or qualities would you say you need to do your job well?

Leila: I think you need to be able to work well under pressure, you need to be able to work quickly and efficiently to get everything done.

Would you recommend it to others?

Both: Yes, we would definitely working with the stadium cleaning team at AQS.

A vital sector hungry for staff

The “twindemic”, or the situation when flu and COVID hit hard at the same time,  could cost more lives due to the severe shortage of cleaning staff, industry leaders have warned. 

One thing conveyed by the words above is the new importance hygiene has taken on in our lives. The person who sanitises the surfaces we touch in public places is as likely to save lives as the doctor who treats the infected.

The other is the scale of the recruitment challenge faced by the commercial cleaning sector, which is also the level of the opportunity for anyone looking for a new or additional position.