Walking the talk

Our industry is nothing if not diverse, interesting, challenging, ever-changing and ever-addictive. It's also crammed with individuals who are – and have always been – committed to learning for both themselves and others. Much of that learning, of course, has been by way of Security Industry Training Organisation (SITO) training courses.

As an organisation, SITO was first established back in 1990 to improve the quality and uptake of qualifications and training in the security industry, and assist those individuals dedicated to raising standards.

Appointed by the Department for Education and Employment (now the Department for Education and Skills) as the security industry's NTO in 1997, SITO is now responsible for working with both Government and industry to establish training and qualification standards for the security sector – intervening (where required) to stimulate greater involvement in relevant educational issues.

Of course, SITO currently finds itself in a transitional period because all National Training Organisations have been de-recognised by the Government. As many of you will be aware, we're currently in discussion with regard to our potential Sector Skills Council status (see 'Sector specifics', SMT, December 2002, pp22-25).

Looking back, going forward
To see where SITO and the industry might be heading with training provision, it's first necessary to look back and find out how we have arrived at our current position.

In 1997, the Department for Education and Employment recognised that the eclectic nature of the security sector and its associated industries demanded a central body with responsibility for educational standards and resulting qualifications and training regimes. With seven years of relevant experience in the industry, SITO was both the natural and logical choice to take the industry forward.

Proud but by no means complacent, we realised almost immediately that we still had much work to do, but seeing our training and qualifications incorporated into causes such as the continuous professionalisation of the industry made our efforts truly worthwhile.

Of late, we have begun to enjoy support from the SIA and, under the leadership of acting chief executive David Dickinson, have made great progress with the industry and the SIA along the road to determining future skills requirements (see 'SIA commissions PRCI for licensing research', News, SMT, December 2002, p7).

Stakeholders must play their part
For those of you who have expressed concern that training standards and skills requirements were not defined in advance, I would say the fact that the civil service didn't try to second guess the industry's training needs when publishing the Act was probably a good thing (particularly if the SIA is now properly advised to recognise the work that has already been done in the sector).

It's therefore imperative that more industry stakeholders play an active part in recognising that education and training is both a strategic and societal issue. An issue that they'll neglect at their own – not to say the industry's – peril.

If I may ask the question, in a people-based industry such as our own surely it's not unreasonable to expect education and training to impact on both corporate and societal thinking?

The growing concern over security matters among both the business community and individuals means that more finance is being made available from public, commercial and private sources to reduce criminal activity, at the same time addressing recent events such as terrorist attacks, Cash-in-Transit robberies and the May Day protests. Positively, training and qualifications are now often at the forefront of peoples' thinking when purchasing decisions have to be made.

Increasingly, the decision makers recognise that, as all aspects of business and society can be subjected to chaos – resulting from actions like those taken in New York, Washington, Bali and more recently in Mombassa – those individuals who work to provide a more secure environment must have a broad range of skills and a clear understanding of their role in what has the potential to become a national (perhaps even global) security network.

As the scope and importance of security work continues to grow, so the degree of professionalisation expected of employees increases. We live in a fast-paced world. Security technologies are developing at a rapid rate, attitudes are changing and business models, opportunities and ideas are spreading.

Not only that, new working practices are emerging on a constant basis. Never before has it been so imperative that we ensure our people are competent, fit for purpose and well-informed. Not knowing something was once seen as a deficiency, now it's increasingly being viewed as an opportunity.

The desire of individuals employed in this industry to really learn their craft has also been identified. Increasingly, security operatives are demanding a sense of progression. Simply maintaining the status quo is no longer acceptable. Indeed, SITO has been inundated with requests for training across a plethora of security disciplines. This is a direct reflection of recent research.

Back in 2000, studies undertaken by KnowledgePool showed that 75% of employees in the UK think that training and qualifications are as important as a salary, health insurance and a shorter working week, while 95% of employees across all industries believe that training increases their career prospects.

Specifically, training and qualifications give meaning to our future actions and enable us to mobilise the efforts of our people. Combining their knowledge and skills then empowers them and our industry at large in the move to achieving shared aims and objectives. It's true to say that continuing professional development has become a necessity for employees in the 21st Century.

Within such a fickle workforce, training is the key to retaining people. Planning a path of learning reinforces employee loyalty, and ensures that a given individual has a sense of their future within the company and the industry at large. Potential emplo

Security's changing dimensions
The changing dimensions of security work and the associated training demand is amply evidenced in SITO's own offerings. Computer-based learning on CD-Rom, via Internet and distance learning. Multimedia is rapidly coming to replace flip charts and OHP slides in the 'classroom'. However, we should not be blinded by technology. E-learning is the way ahead, yes, but it's not really the 'e' that counts – it's the learning outcomes.

These developments in the technology of learning are now being matched by continuous assessment of the validity of qualifications and improvement in the content of training courses and qualifications. No fewer than 14 industry-led Steering Groups are now working with SITO on development projects. Of particular interest to SMT's readers will be the fact that many of these projects are aimed at training programmes for supervisors and managers.

By working with these Steering Groups and relevant Government departments, SITO is now managing its development in order to meet the ever-changing demands of not only Government but also the industry and society at large.

To summarise, then, SITO-led and industry-supported work is underway to improve the educational framework. End users are being seen to support improved training standards, while industry and society together are demanding big improvements. Government is suggesting that improvements are necessary, and individuals in the private sector want to learn. What, though, is the current situation with regard to security training in the UK?

SITO personnel have been collectively engaged in trying to assist the industry in moving forward in respect of training and education standards over the past 14 years. It has most certainly been a long haul. We have tried to encourage both the industry and its end users to continually look upwards to standards and not down at price.

Although it's true to say that we've gone a long way towards raising standards in general for all sectors within the scope of SITO as well as for the in-house scenario, results are still somewhat patchy.

Many of the successes we've had have been at the lower end of the training scale, but it's proving to be a real struggle when you look to progress beyond the basic minimum of training. Is this really surprising, though? Across all sectors of the UK economy, the average company is currently spending only £117 per person per year on training.

We have reliable reports of companies in the guarding sector spending £50 or less per person on training. 43% of the national average in a sector which is people-dominated, and 'boasts' a high labour turnover.

Within such a fickle workforce, training is the key to retaining people. Planning a path of learning reinforces employee loyalty, and ensures that a given individual has a sense of their future within the company and the industry at large. Potential employees are now much wiser than they used to be, and a company with a reputation for training its staff is seen as a good company.

In spite of its limitations, the Private Security Industry Act 2001 offers a genuine opportunity to improve upon the current status quo. That said, as an industry we should not be waiting to be told what to do.

We should follow employment trends, comply with existing industry standards and listen to the customer base. Better standards, improved training and perhaps even the opportunity to re-position the role of the security officer, door supervisor, investigator or wheel clamper in the eyes of the public are there for the taking.

Supporting the SIA's endeavours
In a nutshell, as an industry we now have to get behind the SIA, support it fully in its endeavours and truly begin to 'walk the talk'.

On a personal level, what I'd really like to see in the future is an improvement in the minimum standards that currently exist for entry level training, in addition to an expansion in coverage so that training requirements cover functions at all levels in the industry – from security officer to senior management – as part of the 'licence to operate'.

Beyond this, the Approved Contractors scheme should be far more demanding in respect of training expectations. In my view, the requirements should be based upon national standards. Auditing of compliance with those standards should involve education and training experts at some stage of the procedure.

Thankfully, long gone are the days when an inspector just checked the records to see if training had been completed. What we should have in place is a system where the quality and relevance of the training undertaken is also audited. I don't believe for one moment that the end user or the public at large would expect anything less than this.

In striving to achieve this goal, we believe that it's critical to continue to be an effective partner to the SIA. We must ensure that there's a proper link between SITO and the Home Office. There's a tremendous opportunity for us to really improve this industry by way of the Act – and we must do so.

For that to happen, we must all work together. If we can, then not only will licensing work, but our industry will at long last be seen to be competent and professional.