According to Jake Rosenfeld, in his book “You’re Paid What You’re Worth” (Harvard University Press)—

“If good jobs can be bad, then the upside is that bad jobs can be made good…”

“… Five quintessentially poorly paid and grueling occupations are cases in point … retail, fast food, sanitation, meatpacking, and home healthcare. Most workers in these occupations have few resources to improve their bargaining position…”

The author suggests “strategies for workers and their allies to make these bad jobs good. Or at least better than what currently prevails.”

One aspect of making bad jobs good (or better) is education:

He notes that “…study after study demonstrates just how much a college degree pays off in the form of an average wage premium, and many believe this proves the explanatory power of the skill-biased technological change model. A typical college graduate earns 80 percent more per year than a worker who ended her education following high school.”

A key function of the Indoor Health Council is to enable upward mobility for janitors and custodians through education and in parallel with the work of others, such as ISSA.

Below are existing ISSA and other efforts, followed by what we propose to do:

3RD Party Education Programs

DePaul University Career Edge Certificate Program: A “three-module skills development course was created in partnership with Chicago’s DePaul University and aims to provide cleaning industry professionals [notably, women] with essential tools to advance their careers and achieve success.” Developed by ISSA’s Hygieia Network.

GBAC STAR Service Accreditation: A “Service Accreditation program [that provides] third-party validation of a building service contractor’s cleaning, disinfection, and infection prevention protocols and procedures.” Developed by the Global Biorisk Advisory Council (GBAC).

Indoor Health Council (IHC) – Upward Mobility Program

This is for all persons involved in professional cleaning, and will be accessible and affordable to all. Importantly, the education provided will directly connect to performance, not just academic or head-knowledge. More details soon.