SITO’s Management Certification Scheme

Many of those employed within the contract manned security sector occupy first line manager and other security management positions – often as a second career, or simply as a direct result of promotion through the ranks. Although competent managers in their own right, it’s fair to say that they’re often lacking in formal, recognised management qualifications acceptable to the wider industry.

Plenty of organisations provide high quality training and education schemes which serve their employees well. However, such courses are often not certificated, or aren’t recognised outside of the providing company. A situation that leaves the otherwise successful employee unable to demonstrate their abilities to other employers or professional institutions.

Similarly, there are many short courses available via other establishments – such as those offered by the University for Industry (UfI) – which can be targeted at an individual’s specific needs, but in themselves don’t offer a route to a recognised professional qualification in security management.

Ultimately, this makes for an uneconomical situation which can (and does) result in the holding back of potential managers, the under-utilisation of Human Resources, increasing staff turnover (a perennial problem for the sector, of course) and the ineffective deployment of training resources in terms of both time and finances. Significant investments made on the part of employers and employees can all-too-easily amount to nothing.

This is the driving force behind the SITO Management Certification Scheme. The purpose of the scheme is to provide a truly effective alternative to the aforementioned scenario by actively bringing together the various elements of an individual’s education, training and experience in such a way that a widely-recognised qualification can be granted.

Meeting the scheme requirements

The SITO scheme was devised in conjunction with a number of industry specialists (including Jane McKenna, national training director at Chubb Security Personnel and Initial Security’s support services director Stuart Brown) and comprises five main steps: (1) Registration with SITO (2) Registration with the Institute of Security Management (3) The completion of a Record of Training Achievement (4) The completion of a number of reports and (5) Moderation and Certification.

To meet the requirements of the scheme, the outcome of which is a SITO Management Certificate, potential candidates must demonstrate that they have successfully completed relevant educational and/or training courses. The education and/or training that an individual selects for this purpose may have been completed from any one of a number of sources, including in-house courses with an employer, short courses undertaken with a reputable training provider, self study (via distance learning packages), further/higher education establishment courses, the previously mentioned UfI courses or Open University studies.

Non-certificated training (both on and off the job) is acceptable, but must be evidenced. In addition, all applicants must hold a first line management position within the security industry, enjoy the full support of their employer and have access to a mentor – either within their own organisation or through another Recognised Centre.

Your employer may be your Recognised Centre, or perhaps a training provider or colleges of further/higher education. Recognised Centre status is granted if there is a suitable mentor to hand, and where the organisation enjoys access to computers (for online learning and producing assignment reports) and to in-house and/or external training courses.

For their part, mentors must hold a senior or middle management position in the industry, be able to demonstrate that they’ve received suitable training relating to the role and be registered with SITO as a recognised mentor. Their role will encompass agreeing the scope and design of candidate reports (of which more anon), providing ongoing support and guidance and undertaking regular candidate progress reviews at least every two months. Completion and verification of any submitted records is also of vital importance.

How does the scheme work?

To register for the scheme, candidates must first submit an application form supplied through their mentor via SITO. Once that application has been accepted at Security House, a full information pack is sent out.

Registration as a student member of the Institute of Security Management is compulsory for a minimum period of one year. The membership fee is included in the cost of scheme registration (costing details are available by telephoning SITO on 01905 20004). Candidates can subsequently choose to apply for associate or Member status with the Institute, but will have to bear the financial cost of doing so themselves.

Candidates will then be required to submit four written reports, one for each of the following areas of management: managing resources, managing performance, managing themselves and managing the client.

Here, it’s highly important that the reports demonstrate the candidate’s knowledge of relevant management theories and other underpinning knowledge (such as current legislation). It’s equally imperative that the report outlines the candidate’s ability to apply designated management skills within the working environment.

As a guide, each report will take anything between eight and 12 hours to complete (excluding research time), while the whole Management Certification Scheme programme ought to be completed in 6-12 months.

To meet the terms of SITO’s Record of Achievement, candidates have to submit copies of relevant qualification certificates.