Roberta Minty of Total Training Consultancy Limited discusses the changing trends in security training and company perceptions, and predicts how this could shape the future.
A company’s most important resource is undoubtedly the employees! But how many companies realise that to maximise employee potential, money needs to invested in education and training? Reflect on how much a company can lose through theft in a year, and you realise that the cost of education for security personnel pays for itself over and over. Still many companies do not see the potential of having a team of educated officers! I sometimes think they are lost in a time warp. Let me give you an example. In the late 1980s into the 1990s I was training for a large security company. Training was purely an operational exercise to get more security people onto as many sites as possible. Little thought had gone into their real suitability for the job. As long as vetting could be achieved (hit and miss, often relying solely on personal references); if the applicant could start at once; and could do the necessary shifts, then he/she would find themselves in the training room. The training I gave was rudimentary, from a basic job training pack, and well-worn videos.
Only a stopgap
There was no national statutory requirement for training, nor was there a benchmark that the security person needed to achieve. The employer was more interested in providing a security presence more than anything else. This was coupled with the thought that people employed as security officers would only do it as a stopgap measure until a better job came along. Many companies did not want to spend much money on training, and so the trend of ‘it isn’t worth spending too much money’ started to grow. When I first started my own management training company I became aware of the difference between security companies and other businesses. To my horror I found that many of the smaller security companies were unprofessional in their views and how they treated the officers they employed. This included, not checking references, treating officers with disdain and not recognising and respecting the person – as one human being to another should, and not wanting to spend money on training. Even until two years ago security officers were working unacceptable hours and arriving in the training room directly after a night shift! Such a person can’t learn all that is required of him or her when they are tired, and so management would then blame the employee by saying they were no good! They would re-enforce their own misbelief that it wasn’t worth spending money on training.
No compromise
This caused me to decide whether as a company we would condone some of these smaller companies by providing cheap training or go without the business. I made the decision not to compromise, that if talking with a company director or human resource manager of the advantages that a high standard training package would provide, if they still wanted bottom line cheap with reduced training hours, I would tell them to find someone else. You might be thinking, perhaps these companies did not have the cashflow to spend on training. But this was not the case: they had the money, it was just their attitude towards the officer (‘not worth spending money on them!’) and training (‘I’ve never had much training and I have done ok’attitude). In my view, training needs to be extended and on-going so that it becomes education. I welcomed the Security Industry Authority (SIA) changes that required officers to reach a specific standard of training and be deemed fit for licensing. I noticed a two-fold effect. First, the large organisations that had always trained their officers only needed to change the documentation procedures. Second, the medium-sized or small business needed to decide what they were going to do. Were they prepared to change or not? Some put off making the decision for as long as possible, as to whether they should spend money on having licensed officers or not, selling up to the larger firms; or simply trade illegally.
Frustration and relief
So how did this effect companies like my own who were offering training? For me, it was a time of frustration. I was communicating with numerous security companies on a regular basis and was amazed by the continual requests for cheap training. In other industries, although cost is of course important, the main criterion is quality. That is, they had realised the most important resource are the employees! They have also done their maths and know that well constructed recruitment, orientation and on staff development returns long-term dividends to the company. However, at this time in the security industry, it seemed that all sorts of people were offering training. This meant that those companies that wanted cheap training could get it, through training providers who were prepared to cut corners, and not provide adequate training. It was a great relief when the SIA made it mandatory for those training security officers needed to have recognised training qualifications themselves. This, in my view, is one of the major and almost undocumented changes. That is, the standard of training has improved, and only the capable remain. Training is now about using sound adult education principles.
Ideal world
The ideal security world is now coming into fruition. I foresee the major trends for the future of the industry will be the increased importance of the development of all staff though staff development programmes. The SIA’s approved contractor scheme will result in quality standards and this will result in best practice being followed. The large security companies can lead the way in this, by developing on-going staff development programmes for their officers. Continuing professional development is required in many other disciplines, so why not security? This would include, a documented career path so that employees are aware they too can have a career. This will result not only in personal job satisfaction, but also the desire for education. Such education can be attained through various NVQ, City and Guild, and university courses.
Conclusion
In conclusion, in 2006, the industry began putting things in order, by introducing licensing, the re-training of existing staff, and only qualified personnel allowed to train security officers. This has stopped the concept of security jobs as stop gap. Instead someone can enter at base level and through the improved training methods be able to gain job satisfaction. In addition, the many educational courses at NVQ, City and Guilds, and university level enable the security officer to have career progression equitable to many other professions.
About the writer
Roberta Minty has a HR background and has specialised in security training for 15 years. She is the Managing Director of Total Training Consultancy Limited, based in Wiltshire, running courses nationally. During 2006 the company has trained and developed security staff across the UK. In 2007, the company will become involved in helping companies to apply for the SIA approved contractors scheme and training their staff on how to implement the process. Total is an approved NOCN and City & Guilds training centre.
