Building a career in the private security sector: the female view

The business category of 2005’s Worcestershire Woman of the Year Awards has been won by a thoroughly personable and hugely enthusiastic individual who, on her own admission, could have become an ‘ocular doctor’ rather than the managing director of a thriving security training concern.

“I have always loved working with people, and when I left school at 18 armed with A Levels in mathematics and biology it seemed like the most natural thing in the world that I’d follow in my father’s footsteps and become an optician,” states Esther Ruggiero.

Well, she didn’t! In her capacity as managing director, Esther now runs one of the foremost training companies in the UK – Train 4 Security – alongside her husband Phil, who serves as chief executive of the operation which he founded back in late 1999.

All those who’ve already passed their training courses with the Droitwich-based educator are pleased that Esther chose an altogether different career. From small beginnings – the company’s first customer was Securitas in Birmingham – with training days across the year numbering less than 500, the firm has just posted a projected turnover for 2005 of £1.1 million.

Over 4,000 training days are now offered across numerous courses, including the Introduction to Delivering Learning (City & Guilds 7302), Security Industry Authority (SIA)-approved security officer and door supervisor training, conflict management, risk assessment and site surveying and the vetting and screening of employees to BS 7858.

In addition to Securitas, who have remained as key clients since Day One, the company – a fully-approved Edexcel, SITO (via the National Open College Network), NCFE and City & Guilds Training Centre – can also name The Corps, Group 4 Securicor, Bovis Lend Lease, Wilson James and Phoenix Beard among its prestigious customer base.

Investors in People status is being sought through the local Chamber of Commerce, a new Midlands office was recently opened by the SIA’s competency manager Linda Sharpe and, as if that weren’t enough activity for one year, the husband-and-wife team has established a London office and set up a specialist recruitment agency – Central Recruitment (UK) – headed up by Catherine Hughes to handle recruitment requirements for leading UK security companies.

As well as running a successful business, Esther is also studying at University College, Worcester for a BSc (Honours) degree in IT for Education and Training.

Then there’s the children to look after – aged 14, 11 and 3 respectively – in addition to her commendable penchant for work in the local community (which has led to Esther completing a stint as the secretary of a local business association in Droitwich, and creating and maintaining a web site for her local church).

How does she manage her time? Let's find out... Esther Ruggiero’s route into the security industry was nothing if not circuitous. Her first job post-school was at Marks & Spencer’s. “I loved the buzz of retail,” she says, “and so I decided to apply for the management training scheme.” Circumstances would dictate that, instead, the young businesswoman would soon be part of Mothercare’s retail management programme, having married her first husband and subsequently settled in Thame.

A change of direction occurred in 1986, though, when Esther began a ten-year spell working for numerous recruitment agencies. Her then husband’s job with BAe necessitated a move to Droitwich, where Esther applied for the post of running the local Job Club – a task that involved helping candidates to write speculative letters and draft CVs.

“I adored that job,” recalls Ruggiero with obvious affection for the times. “There was quite a bad recession in the Midlands back then, and I had to ‘pick people off the floor’ who were at rock bottom and make them believe in themselves again. There was a real mixture of people. Anything from engineers and factory workers through to doctors and surveyors. I learned a great deal about other people and myself.”

At the time, Esther’s first two children were only three and six-years-old. Surely it must have been tough coping with a day job and a young family all at once?

“I would be lying if I said it wasn’t really hard to balance everything,” she responds. “My parents were living far away so there wasn’t the usual family support network to fall back on.”

Learning curve at SITO

Having gained so much commercial experience, Esther decided to apply for a post at SITO. She was eventually hired by former chief executive Raymond Clarke as sales and operations manager, looking after an in-house training team as well as three regionally-based sales people.

The security industry is indeed dominated by a male presence. If that continues to be the case then challenges to the norm will be few and far between. To my mind, women are far more creative and innovative in the way that they address problems.

Esther Ruggiero, Train 4 Security

During this period she met Phil Ruggiero (Esther was by now divorced from her first husband), who was then working at Attlaw Security. The couple struck up an immediate rapport that would continue to grow...

By 2000, Esther thought she needed a change from the security sector. A sales manager’s role at Xebec McGraw Hill followed, and a quick promotion to UK sales manager. Eight people were working for her on various e-learning projects. Boots, The House of Fraser and Argos were some of Esther’s blue chip clients. The times were good. Sadly, come March 2002 the company had decided to pull out of the UK. “That was a real blow,” says Ruggiero. Esther was pregnant with her third child, too, which didn’t help the stress levels!

Never one to become maudlin or shirk a new challenge, Esther – by now married to Phil – determined to immerse herself in Train 4 Security. “I wanted to be involved with the business on a full-time basis. For a long time I had suspected that the future lay in training and recruitment that was heavily IT-focused. That’s really why I’m doing the degree I’m doing. So that I can input new ideas into the business. Also, if you are not careful you can stagnate. It’s best to keep pushing yourself towards new goals.” Meantime, Train 4 Security continues to grow its business and reputation.

New skills added to the mix

Esther was nominated for the Worcestershire Woman of the Year Awards – a scheme organised by St Richard’s Hospice, with the ceremony held at Madresfield Court in Malvern at the tail end of June – by City of Worcester Council employee and close friend Kabbie Langford, a long-time colleague with whom she used to work at Security House.

Esther was certainly up against strong contenders in the Business category, including renowned local financier Julia Goss of HSBC Bank plc. Esther takes up the story.

“We had to prepare a ten-minute presentation and then be interviewed by an eight-strong panel,” recalls Ruggiero. “It was pretty daunting. A bit like being in the Dragon’s Den, I suppose. I was asked if we were building the business just so that we could sell it on. After all, that is the case with many smaller security companies, but not with us.”

Esther was also asked to state what she feels she brings to the business that, perhaps, her husband Phil does not. The answer is an interesting one, as it offers you a flavour of the skills women have that are desperately needed in today’s security industry.

“Women bring attention to detail,” explains Ruggiero. “We also practice what we preach when it comes to customer service. The security industry is indeed dominated by a male presence. If that continues to be the case then challenges to the norm will be few and far between. To my mind, women are far more creative and innovative in the way that they address problems.”

For Esther, another important factor here is the Working Time Directive. “While the UK continues to opt-out of this legislation it is always going to be a barrier to women building a career in security. At present, there isn’t anything like the correct work-life balance. If we want to attract good quality people to the industry, and in particular more females, then we must be in a position to offer far more attractive benefits packages. For women, it’s not just about work. It’s how their life outside of the office is able to fit around it that really makes a difference. In this respect, the industry needs to become a little more flexible.”

Esther is currently busy working on Train 4 Security’s City & Guilds Global Online Assessment Centre, an IT-related project that really excites her.

“We can build in elements for security officers that concentrate on literacy and learning styles so they find the examinations less daunting. It can be tricky tackling exams when you have been away from them for so long.” A fact all-too-often neglected.

Commitment is the key

Above all, though, Esther is keen to demonstrate to other women that it is possible to hold down a fulfilling role in the security sector and at the same time extend personal learning curves. The key to success, it seems, is the need for being an “expert juggler”. Esther continues: “Women must be 100% committed to all that they do in the workplace. They need to be passionate and enthusiastic about the assignments they are given. And they need a great support network around them, both inside the office and out.”

According to Ruggiero, it was during her spell at SITO that she realised “there's far more to security than meets the eye. We have an industry that could be superb. However, in 25 years the Basic Job Training package hasn’t really changed that much. It has merely moved from acetate and overhead projectors to PowerPoint and laptops. Induction training should be a major motivator, but so often it is administered in such a dull way. We need to motivate our people during training so that the end product for the client is polished.”