Leader

Thanks to the campaign, spearheaded by the BSIA, both installers and manufacturers will now have a much more realistic timescale to cope with the implications of the changes. There has been almost universal agreement that the introduction of Euro requirements was premature. Now there will be a period of dual running of Euro and British standards. Over a seven month partwork published last year Security Installer detailed the full implications, which are considerable. For both installers and manufacturers the last three years have been a period of incredible change and the longer run-up will now allow manufacturers, especially, more time to adapt their equipment.

This edition of Security Installer is very much a "training and apprenticeship special". Our news pages are full of stories such as the Apprentice Skills Challenge, the new "customer friendly" SITO, an appeal for apprenticeship assessors, an Apprentice of the Year initiative and a company's first female apprentice. In Learning Zone (p33) there's an update on the co-operative training schemes and a private company's award winning training initiatives ... So who says that training is taking a back seat? It certainly is not on the evidence in this edition. However, there are controversial issues surrounding training aired in our Mailbox pages (p 19). As regular readers know, Security Installer is the only magazine where you will find installer training is given the breadth of coverage it deserves. If you agree or disagree with any of our writers or correspondents let us know.

Installers have been bombarded from all angles about IP Networking over the last two years. This magazine's coverage of networking equipment has rocketed in that time . Why? Because judging by your responses to products featured and questions to our resident "experts" you are hungry for information on how to make it work for you. But is this just "hearsay" evidence? All will be revealed when CMPi, publishers of Security Installer collate the results of a huge and unique market research initiative. Thought to be the biggest exercise of its kind, it will involve a survey of the entire IFSEC 2004 database (see page 7). The results of this will enable IFSEC 2004 to shape the special Network Advantage area at this year's event and the results will bring clarity and benefit to the entire industry when they are published on a dedicated website.

Never let it be said we do not admit our mistakes! In our feature on wireless CCTV transmission last month "No strings attached" the captions to the pictures became transposed. The pictures on page 35 were the half wave dipole aerial (top) and the directional fixed aerial. On the next page were the Pringles can-tenna (top) and the Omni directional mobile antenna. Sorry for any confusion.