What does business in general and security guarding and stewarding companies in particular want of school-leavers? Mark Rowe asks as the UK has its annual A-level results released.
While it’s true that 18-year-olds are relatively rare among the roughly 430,000 SIA-badged people in the UK – the most-occurring age to be SIA-badged has been about 26 or 27 lately – stewarding, especially as a summer job for students, and security guarding are more attractive than the work once was to the young. For one reason; ear buds. This summer I’ve driven past the Royal Welsh Show outside Builth Wells, and the Bloodstock heavy metal festival grounds in Derbyshire. At the first, two teenagers were among the roadside stewards, stopping the traffic to help Show-goers cross the main roads; at the second, before the festival was open to ticket-holders, a lad was seated at a gate. All three were wearing ear buds and (presumably) listening to music. Certainly for the lad, music or whatever he was listening to on his phone would while away a shift that before such wireless technology would have dragged, because little or nothing would have happened. Outdoor stewarding or static guarding, then, has become far more appealing – weather permitting – if ear buds are allowed, and the young person is only aurally occupied, and isn’t oblivious to the world, viewing something on their phone.
What characteristics and competencies do employers want of the young, in positive and negative terms – traits employers want and don’t want to see? At the risk of generalizing about a generation, the young have much to commend them. They are interested in keeping healthy; if that includes physical and mental stamina, that equips them for shifts that could stretch into the evening, and could be demanding in terms of dust, heat or other weather.
Digital literacy
David Shepherd, Senior Vice President of EMEA at the cyber security firm Ivanti said: “Technology plays an integral role in every aspect of our lives. Yet although the digital revolution has been going on for years, the skills gap is widening. While computer science is gaining traction, its absence from the top ten A-Level subjects announced today is concerning. Every job, from engineering to law, is increasingly reliant on technology.
“The next generation needs to be digitally fluent to ensure their future success. Whether they pursue an IT career or not, these skills allow people to leverage the right tools, adapt to evolving technologies, and unlock their full potential. What’s more, digital literacy promotes productivity and safety. It safeguards individuals from online threats, such as AI-generate misinformation and cyber threats, and equips them to harness the power of AI responsibly – at work and in their personal lives.”
History
More vaguely, employers may want a digital-savviness; the young may be far more comfortable with using devices to record routine incidents than the stereotypical older person who isn’t familiar with IT. Prof Mark Button, pictured, of the University of Portsmouth recently released a study into how the very old are bombarded with scams. While again it’s dangerous to generalise, people may not be susceptible to scams because they are young and ignorant, or old and not wise to tech; but simply because whatever their age and background they are caught by increasingly sophisticated and genuine-looking scammers. Likewise the counter-fraud trade body Cifas reports that according to members’ data, account takeover is suffered mainly by the older – presumably only because they’re more wanted by fraudsters, thinking older people have more in their accounts.
What knowledge of history is required? Time was when the football world did not need to explain the Hillsborough disaster; everyone could remember the 1989 FA Cup semi-final when 96 (later 97) people were crushed to death, and which after the Taylor Report led to the safety regime at stadia that only recently was altered by ‘safe standing’ areas of grounds. Now, Hillsborough has become something that would have to be explained to much of the stewarding workforce.
As for etiquette, again times have changed. Among the older generation of security managers you can find those who acknowledge that attitudes once taken for granted – of joshing women, for their looks or asking them to make some tea – are now simply out of order. You might not understand why the young style themselves he/him at the end their emails, and you don’t have to join in; but it won’t do to belittle it.
The young may simply be more biddable in general, including for the taking of online training. Security management, and ‘trades’ whether plumbing or intruder alarm installation, may be relatively more attractive choices to the 18-year-old after A-levels than university, for negative and positive reasons – why go to university for three years and leave with debt of tens of thousands of pounds that may take decades to pay off; when you can start earning and progress in a career that much sooner, whether cyber or real-world security, by taking non-degree courses that are plentiful, shorter and work-related.
To name a few options – the Security Institute is running a ‘routes into security’ webinar on August 29. Skills for Security has announced ‘Skills on demand’, a platform offering courses in fire safety and electronic security. Under the umbrella of the UK Cyber Security Council, BT is holding a webinar on September 17 about ‘skills needed for cyber roles’. A ‘London Cyber Pathways’ in-person event on October 1 is for anyone looking to enter cyber security, whether with an IT or military veteran background, or as an apprentice. If talk in private security is of ‘transferable skills’ because the sector continues not to generate all or enough of its entrants, that begs the question; where do entrants gain their skills that are transferable, in the first place? Certainly for cyber, it need not be an academic degree, but a mix: of experience, edging into the field from another, and taking courses if and as required.
