Cleaning Principles qualifications and training courses

Last Updated: 06 Jun 2023

Important Update: All awarding organisations are required by external regulators and funding agencies to regularly review performance and take-up of their products and services. Following a review City & Guilds has come to the difficult decision to no longer offer qualifications in Cleaning Principles.

When we carry out reviews, there are a wide range of factors that are considered, including the number of learners taking the qualifications, assessment needs, funding, and government plans. Some qualifications are being retired, which means the published last learner registration date will not be extended. Some qualifications are being withdrawn, which means we will be bringing forward the last registration date for learners. We will of course continue to fully support our customers and learners throughout the life of the qualifications and certification activities.

Please review the revised end registration dates on our website and catalogue.

Learn the best techniques for specific cleaning tasks with an Award, Certificate or Diploma in Cleaning Principles.

You can choose the cleaning skills you want to focus on - there are topics ranging from operating mechanical street cleaners to cleaning safely at heights. And with the Certificate and Diploma in Cleaning Principles, you can get a great introduction to fundamental cleaning skills as well.

These qualifications are for anyone working in cleaning or those looking for their first cleaning job.

You don't need any previous experience or prior qualifications. For some of the awards, there may be a minimum age requirement depending on the equipment used. For example, you must be at least 21 to get a licence for some driver-controlled mechanical sweepers.

Available to deliver in the following:

England
Wales – please check QiW website for available funding
Scotland
Northern Ireland

Interested in delivering this qualification?

Find out more about how to become an approved City & Guilds centre or fill out our online customer application form.

General Information

What Is Involved In Studying This Course?

The qualification covers subjects such as:

Dealing with routine and non-routine waste
Health and Safety for the cleaning and support services industry
Working with customers and others in the cleaning and support services industry.

For an Award in Cleaning Principles, you will learn with your training provider through practical sessions. You will then demonstrate what you've learned by completing assignments. For the core units of the Certificate in Cleaning Principles you will be assessed using multiple choice tests. All other units are assessed using practical assignments.

Is this level right for me?

Level 2
You work or would like to work in the cleaning industry. You want to learn a specialist skill like cleaning washrooms, food areas or streets or get a broader overview of cleaning principles.

What Careers Can This Lead To?

An Award, Certificate or Diploma in Cleaning Principles can help you land your first job in the cleaning industry.

If you're already working in the industry, this qualification is a good way to move to specialised cleaning.

You can increase your skills and potential by moving from the Award to Certificate or Diploma in Cleaning Principles.

If you'd like to advance your career through further training, you could also move on to these qualifications: Level 2 award, certificate or diploma in Cleaning and Support Services, Level 2 certificate in Local Environmental Services, Level 3 diploma in Cleaning Supervision.

What Is Involved With Delivering This Course?

To deliver the Award/Certificate in Cleaning Principles, you'll need to provide your learners with a suitable learning environment and the resources they need to complete the practical aspects of the qualification.

You will need qualified internal assessors.

You will need to provide learners with sufficient cleaning equipment, either at the centre or at the learner's workplace, to allow them to meet the demands of the practical activities.

You can get fast-track approval if you offer:

Level 2 NVQ in Cleaning and Support Services (7698-02, -92)
Level 2 Certificate in Cleaning Science (7643-02, -03).

To find all the resource requirements, download the qualification handbook from the centre documents section.

Anyone can take this qualification, but there are some age restrictions depending on the equipment used - for example, you must be at least 21 to get a licence for some driver-controlled mechanical sweepers.

Level 2

This will suit you if you work, or would like to work, in the cleaning industry. You want to learn a specialist skill such as cleaning washrooms, food areas or streets, or get a broader overview of cleaning principles.

You can choose to do either an Award, Certificate or Diploma in Cleaning Principles.

An Award in Cleaning Principles is a single-unit qualification covering one specific cleaning skill, such as working at heights or cleaning buses and trains. For a full list of awards to choose from, see the centre documents section.

The Certificate in Cleaning Principles covers one specialist cleaning skill plus general cleaning skills, health and safety and working with customers. Core units are:

Dealing with routine and non-routine waste
Health and Safety for the cleaning and support services industry
Working with customers and others in the cleaning and support services industry.

Specialist units include:

Cleaning of confined spaces
Cleaning of food areas
Cleaning of high risk areas (controlled environments)
Mechanical street cleaning.

You may have taken one or more of these units as part of another qualification, including the Award in Cleaning Principles. These can count towards the certificate as long as you took them within the past three years.

The Diploma in Cleaning Principles consists of the same three core units, plus at least 27 credits from the specialist group of units. For a full list of units, see the centre documents section.

What Careers Can This Lead To?

An Award, Certificate or Diploma in Cleaning Principles can help you land your first job in the cleaning industry.

If you're already working in the industry, this qualification is a good way to move to specialised cleaning.

You can increase your skills and potential by moving from the Award to Certificate or Diploma in Cleaning Principles.

If you'd like to advance your career through further training, you could also move on to these qualifications: Level 2 award, certificate or diploma in Cleaning and Support Services, Level 2 certificate in Local Environmental Services, Level 3 diploma in Cleaning Supervision.

Level 2 Certificate in Cleaning Principles (7695-02)

Last Registration Date: 31 Aug 2024 Supportive services: SmartScreen Learning Assistant

Level 2 Certificate in Cleaning Principles

Accreditation No: 500/5637/2 This is a reference number related to UK accreditation framework
Type: Credit based qualification This is categorisation to help define qualification attributes e.g. type of assessment
Credits: 13 Credits are a measure of the size of the qualification
Guided Learning Hours: 110 - 110 This is the average contact time a centre would typically commit
Total Qualification Time: Data unavailable The total time for the qualification
Key Stage: Data unavailable This shows the equivalent Key Stage level.
Last Certification: 31/08/2026 This is the last date that a certificate can be issued
Qualification fees in the UK: £96.00 Our typical price is the one that is most often paid by a centre for a completed learner. Some prices are made up of multiple charging points so action like taking difference units or specialisms to complete and resitting assessments may mean the cost for some learners differs.

Level 2 Award in Cleaning Principles (7695-04)

Last Registration Date: 31 Dec 2023

Level 2 Award in Cleaning Principles

Accreditation No: 600/0648/1 This is a reference number related to UK accreditation framework
Type: Credit based qualification This is categorisation to help define qualification attributes e.g. type of assessment
Credits: 10 Credits are a measure of the size of the qualification
Guided Learning Hours: 88 - 88 This is the average contact time a centre would typically commit
Total Qualification Time: 100 The total time for the qualification
Key Stage: Data unavailable This shows the equivalent Key Stage level.
Last Certification: 31/12/2025 This is the last date that a certificate can be issued
Qualification fees in the UK: £51.00 Our typical price is the one that is most often paid by a centre for a completed learner. Some prices are made up of multiple charging points so action like taking difference units or specialisms to complete and resitting assessments may mean the cost for some learners differs.

Additional information for centres

SMARTSCREEN IS AVAILABLE FOR THIS QUALIFICATION

SmartScreen is our online portal for tutor, assessors and learners that provides unit-specific support materials and tutor forums to complement the delivery and learning experience

Visit Smartscreen.co.uk >

LEARNING ASSISTANT IS AVAILABLE FOR THIS QUALIFICATION

Learning Assistant is an innovative and cost effective e-portfolio solution that allows colleges and training providers to dramatically improve the delivery of their vocational qualifications.

Learn more about Learning Assistant >

Here you can find all documents related to this suite of qualifications.

By clicking on the section headings below, you can access a variety of documents such as the qualification handbooks and assessment materials, Statements of Purpose, and recognition letters from industry and employers.

Some documents may be password protected. Passwords can be retrieved by logging in to Walled Garden and visiting the Administration section of the relevant qualification catalogue page.

Interested in delivering this qualification?

Find out more about how to become an approved City & Guilds centre or fill out our online customer application form.

7695 Level 2

Assessment materials

Centre documents

7695 L2 Awards Certificate Diploma Cleaning Principles Qualification handbook 980 KB 24 Jul 2018

Cleaning Principles (7695)