Laundry Worker

The purpose of this qualification is to prepare a learner to operate as a Laundry Worker. A Laundry Worker sorts, classifies, cleans, finishes and packs laundry items (textiles, clothing and other textile items) within an industrial and commercial laundering environment. A qualified learner will be able to: • Sort and classify soiled laundry items and prepare loads ready for cleaning. • Use machines and chemicals to clean laundry items. • Conduct finishing functions for laundry operations. • Pack and assemble cleaned laundry items for dispatch to customers.

This qualification will address the skills of the current and future employees serving as laundry workers. The industry will draw learners from the cohort of current employees who perform the function without a qualification. The currently registered qualifications do not provide employees with the requisite skills or recognition. Equally important is the high number of young people without the necessary qualifications who seek elementary occupations. There are hundreds of small and large public and private laundries facilities across the country, and all serve different interests across various economic sectors. These sectors could be security (prisons and places of safety), health facilities and hospitality facilities. Qualified learners will increase productivity and enhance customer satisfaction for the business. The qualification will also restore the dignity of many employees who occupied these positions without any recognition of their professional service and will enhance job security. The employment opportunities exist for young people and women in particular. The qualification will open new opportunities to the learners for growth into supervision and management responsibilities. The subsector has a huge operational range from two machines to a very large operation using large industrial machines. The scope for occupational mobility for qualified employees is significantly large, and qualified learners can move between economic sectors as well. For instance, qualified learners can work in hospitality, medical and old age homes, domestic as well and security facilities. The qualification requires basic knowledge of the materials and textile and a significant amount of on the job practice and experience. However, the actual training and turnaround need to be quick to justify the investment. Otherwise, an expensive and lengthy training will defeat the purpose, hence low credits for both the actual qualification and the part-qualifications.

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL): RPL for Access to the External Integrated Summative Assessment: Accredited providers and approved workplaces must apply the internal assessment criteria specified in the related curriculum document to establish and confirm prior learning. Accredited providers and workplaces must confirm prior learning by issuing a statement of results or by certifying a work experience record. RPL for access to the qualification: Accredited providers and approved workplaces may recognise prior learning against the relevant access requirements. Entry Requirements: • NQF 1 with Mathematical Literacy.

1: Sort and classify soiled laundry items and prepare loads for different washing programmes. 2: Use machines and chemicals to clean different loads of soiled laundry items to prescribed specifications. 3: Conduct finishing operations and prepare cleaned laundry items for dispatch to different customers.