First, what does your title - Chancellor - mean?

When Steve Ashkin and I decided to create Green Cleaning University, we wanted it to have the feel of a traditional university. Our original web site included a student union, library, quad, and so on. In keeping with that theme, we felt the “head” of the University should carry the appropriate title - Chancellor. It’s a bit of fun, but it does help us remember that this is an educational program vs. a traditional training program.

I understand that Green Cleaning University has entered into a partnership with ISSA (The International Sanitary Supply Association.)

That’s right. We are very excited about the opportunities this partnership will open for Green Cleaning University. This offers Green Cleaning University an opportunity to reach an even larger audience and help a greater number of sales professionals have access to our materials.

For our readers that may not be familiar with Green Cleaning University, could you tell us a bit about what it is?

Green Cleaning University was founded in 2006 as an opportunity for sales professionals in the cleaning industry to learn about Green Cleaning and become experts in supporting their clients’ entry in to Green Cleaning. My partner in this venture is Steve Ashkin of The Ashkin Group, LLC. We recognized that there are literally thousands of sales professionals in our industry that could benefit from a better understanding of the principles of Green Cleaning as well as specific techniques to help them increase their sales.

Our original plan was to create an “on-line” university that closely paralleled a brick and mortar university. We developed a series of interactive classes that could be viewed on-line along with an extensive library of articles, PowerPoint Presentations and video clips. The concept was to create an on-line meeting place for professionals interested in learning more about Green Cleaning.

What was the response to the original version of the university?

Frankly, it was not overwhelming. The library attracted a lot of visitors - the articles, presentations and video clips were downloaded thousands of times. However, we learned fairly quickly that most people were not interested in “attending” the classes in an on-line format.

So, after the first year, we re-formated the classes to be interactive CD’s. In this new format, the Green Cleaning University students could “attend” classes whenever it was convenient for them. They could watch a part of the class one evening and pick it up again later or even the next day.

The CDs are designed so that the PowerPoint presentations are synchronized with the video lesson. The student is able to click on a menu that takes them to specific points in the class. In this way they can attend the class from beginning to end, or move around and repeat sections until they feel comfortable with the material.

Since the re-launch, over 300 students have successfully completed the cores classes and been granted the designation of Green Cleaning Professional.

What happens after the student completes the classes?

While the University offers a number of classes (currently a dozen) we created a cores series of five classes that lead to a Certificate of Completion and the designation of Green Cleaning Professional.

A student seeking this designation will attend the core classes, and take an exam at the conclusion of each class. This exam is sent to Green Cleaning University for scoring. Upon successful completion of the classes and exams, the student receives a Certificate of Completion and a Green Cleaning Professional logo that may be used on their business cards, web site, stationary, and so on.

This designation is meant to convey that the graduate has completed a series of classes and understands the key concepts of Green Cleaning, and the principles of assisting their clients in finding the products, equipment, supplies and services to meet their Green Cleaning needs.

What is the Green Cleaning Professional Designation?

The Green Cleaning Professional designation is a recognition of the successful completion of the program by the student. As more people seek and are granted this designation its recognition within the industry will continue to grow. Graduates typically use the logo on their business cards, stationary and web sites.

So, is this just another “Certification” program? Are you competing with Green Seal or other certification programs?

No. What we are doing with Green Cleaning University is quite different than certification programs such as those from Green Seal, Eco Logo, USGBC, etc. Those programs certify that a product or service meet certain standards (usually created by a consensus of industry professionals.)

Green Cleaning University is an educational program. We offer a Certificate of Completion that recognizes an individual for the work done to complete and understand the material in the classes.

What are the classes currently offered?

The core classes that lead to the Green Cleaning Professional designation are:

GC 101 Defining Green and Green Cleaning
SGC 101 How to Prospect for Green Accounts
SCG 102 Building the Green Bundle
GCO 101 Conducting the Building Audit
GCO 102 Writing the Building Audit Report

Additional classes include:

SGC 104 Selling Green Cleaning and the Pilot Process
SGC 105 Overcoming Common Objections
GSO 101 Introduction to the USGBC and the LEED Rating System
HSC 101 Green Cleaning in Schools part 1
HSC 102 Green Cleaning in Schools part 2

There are additional classes dealing with Green Cleaning in health care, Green Cleaning product and service standards and more.

The basic information in these courses applies to anyone in the cleaning industry seeking to further their understanding about Green Cleaning. However, some of the more specialized classes are directly targeted at sales professionals as these people are critical to assisting their clients’ in designing and implementing Green Cleaning programs.

We are currently in the process of developing classes that are aimed at Building Service Contractors, in-house cleaning operations and other segments within the industry.

What has been the response to GCU in the past few years?

The initial response to the concept was very positive. We had thousands of hits on the library with downloads of articles, presentations and video clips. Once we changed to the CD format for the classes (vs. the on-line version) response to the classes was extremely good. There have been over 300 individuals that have completed the program and been granted the Green Cleaning Professional designation.

What changes to GCU will occur because of the partnership with ISSA?

Probably the most significant change will be the extended reach to a vast new group of sales professionals that can benefit from this educational program.

There will be minor changes to the logo and ordering process, but most of this will simply make it easier for interested students to access the information and achieve the Green Cleaning Professional designation.

This partnership allows us to leverage the strength and brand recognition of both organizations. ISSA is a leader in the industry - the association and trade shows draw tens of thousands of attendees every year. Their development and promotion of world class educational materials help extend the credibility already achieved by Green Cleaning University. Both Steve and I are very excited to be a part of this new partnership.

Does this new partnership impact previous graduates of the University?

No. The designations already achieved by previous graduates are still in place and carry the full weight of the new organization.

How does the process work?

It’s simple. Anyone interested will be able to enroll either through www.greencleaninguniversity.org (after July 15th) or at www.ISSA.org (after July 15th.) At those sites they can find more information about all the classes, order individual CDs or the complete set of core classes for a reduced price.

The CDs contain the full instructions for attending the class and completing the exam. Upon completing the exam, the student will send it to exams@greencleaninguniversity.org for scoring. Upon successful completion of the cores series, the student will receive the Certificate of Completion and Green Cleaning Professional logo for use on their business card.

Every two years they will be required to complete an additional class to maintain their designation as a Green Cleaning Professional.

Any questions can be sent to:
davidholly@ashkingroup.com
steveashkin@ashkingroup.com
info@greencleaninguniversty.org

What do you see for the future of Green Cleaning University?

I think the future is very exciting. To date we have focused on the sales person - seeking to help increase their understanding and professionalism in the Green Cleaning arena. Moving forward we will be offering materials for contractors, in-house staffs, NGO’s, government agencies and other segments.

We will also be offering new ways to interact with the professors and other staff, as well as developing forums for students and alumni to share information and success stories. Frankly, the opportunities are unlimited!

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