Asset Skills, the industry skills body for facilities management and cleaning, has reached an agreement in principle with the Cleaning and Support Services Association (CSSA) to look into the benefits of merging the operations of each organisation.
The two organisations have developed a close working relationship over the past ten years and there is considerable overlap in the employers they represent. The aim is to achieve this goal within the next six months, however a final decision will not take place without the approval of CSSA members and an Extraordinary General Meeting will be arranged for members at an appropriate time.
Steven Proudfoot, Chief Operating Officer of Asset Skills, will act as Interim CEO for the CSSA, following the departure of CEO Andrew Large on 17 May to take up a similar role in another industry. Proudfoot will hold this post for six months with a brief to ensure smooth delivery of all existing service agreements while also working to identify suitable operating and governance models for the merged organisations.
Steven Proudfoot said: “We are pleased to announce closer working with the CSSA, our partner of many years. Asset Skills has a good understanding of the FM and cleaning sectors and we will be investigating how to move forward in such a way that will most benefit CSSA members.”
Peter Goodliffe, Chair of the CSSA, said: “The CSSA board has been considering the way forward for the organisation and in particular how our ambition for growth can best be achieved. A number of options have been available including that of recruiting a new CEO. At the same time there have been calls for rationalisation of membership bodies across the industry and recognition that a more cohesive approach to employer representation is required to achieve the influence that more appropriately reflects an industry of this size.”
For more information contact CSSA CEO Andrew Large on 020 7920 9632 or Asset Skills’ CEO Sarah Bentley on 0845 678 2 888.