Cleanzine: your weekly cleaning and hygiene industry newsletter 25th July 2024 Issue no. 1124
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RefugeeOne and UMF|PerfectClean partner to provide refugees with infection prevention workforce training
UMF|PerfectClean has partnered with RefugeeOne to deliver essential workforce training to refugees throughout Chicago. The aim of the partnership is twofold: empower refugees to join the workforce, build a stable life and become self-sufficient; and help employers fill open jobs throughout the Chicago area.
Every participant in the first training cohort, completed in December, secured a job within three weeks of training.
Through the collaboration, UMF|PerfectClean offers its comprehensive infection prevention training program to legally authorised RefugeeOne refugees, putting them on the fast track to employment. The training program provides participants with the fundamental knowledge to find jobs in environmental services (healthcare), housekeeping (hospitality), and custodial services (schools and other facilities).
"With this type of training, I learned a skill that I can put into practice in any job and any business in this country," says Francisco Mendoza, RefugeeOne training participant.
Peyton Ruble, employment program manager at RefugeeOne, explains:
"RefugeeOne's primary focus is to assist refugees and asylum seekers of all ages, ethnic groups, faiths and backgrounds in becoming independent, self-supporting members of their new Chicagoland community.
"Finding a first job is a critical step for newly-arrived refugee families. We aim to help every adult refugee secure a full-time job that pays a living wage within three months of arrival. Our partnership with UMF|PerfectClean directly helps us meet that goal. We are thrilled that every participant of the first training program secured a job in less than a month.
"We will have a next training session scheduled soon where we can accommodate up to 20 trainees. We want to expand the training to additional languages including Arabic, Swahili, and Dari. This ongoing initiative will positively impact the lives of the refugees we serve while improving job fulfilment in the greater Chicago area."
The training program teaches RefugeeOne participants to clean and disinfect hotel guest rooms, hospital patient rooms, classrooms and other facilities safely and effectively. In December, the first cohort of 13 refugees went through the training, which comprised three, two-hour sessions.
George Clarke, CEO of UMF|PerfectClean, says that the company is honoured to collaborate with RefugeeOne to deliver comprehensive infection prevention workforce training.
“Upon first connecting with RefugeeOne, we saw a pool of legal refugees who were strong, capable and desperately wanting work, yet struggling to find jobs,” he reveals. “Simultaneously, we knew the healthcare, hospitality, and education industries were struggling to hire for key roles. There was a clear opportunity to do some good.
“We aim to help open new doors for refugees, paving the way to employment opportunities and meaningful careers. We are pleased that all the trainees from the initial group are participating in the workforce, earning money and contributing positively to our community. We look forward to continuing this impactful program and making a lasting difference in the lives of refugees in our community."
Employers from all different industries are thrilled to partner with RefugeeOne because they save time and money with expedited recruiting and onboarding. On day one, these workers can hit the ground running.
Known for its development of high-performance products, programs and training for the infection prevention and commercial cleaning markets, UMF|PerfectClean
is a proud strategic partner of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology.
www.perfectclean.com | www.refugeeone.org
16th May 2024