The head office of security and facilities services contractor Mitie was the venue for the launch of a Level 4 Certificate for Protective Security Advisers, writes Mark Rowe.
It comes with the unprecedented endorsement by the UK official national technical authorities: National Protective Security Authority (NPSA), National Authority for Counter Eavesdropping (NACE) and National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC). The awarding body is SFJ Awards, which has a background in qualifications for prison officers. The counter-terror authorities also have given to SFJ the task of bringing out a level three, ‘Competent Person in the Workplace (CPIW)’ qualification, for premises managers seeking to become compliant with the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act, better known as Martyn’s Law; expected in detail next year towards anticipated enforcement of the legal requirement for premises to take measures to counter terrorism in 2027.
Levels explained
To explain the levels of qualifications; level three for example the courses taken so as to apply for SIA licences; level five is a foundation degree, level six a honours degree and level seven a master’s. As speakers at the event at The Shard in Southwark, London heard, a level four qualification fills a gap for those SIA-badged security officers seeking to become managers.
Opening the morning event, Emma Shaw – well placed to do so as a former chair of the Security Institute, and MD of Mitie’s intelligence services arm – congratulated all those involved in developing the qualification, ‘the first of its kind. We want to ensure that our people have the access to the best possible training and professional development programmes’.
Perpetuity ARC, a training arm of Mitie, are due to run a pilot advisers course starting at the end of July. The trainers envisage five days in the classroom (it’s expected to be in the Midlands) and then learning online, over nine months; the total ‘qualification learning hours’ will be 140. Examples of the 14 modules covered are threat and vulnerability; personal security; people; personnel security; technical; cyber; incident response and management; and security as a ‘business enabler’. Cost per learner: ยฃ2200.
Emma Shaw said: “I believe these kinds of partnership are vital for career progression for all of us; our world is changing with the back-drop of an ever-increasing range of threats to the UK: from terrorism, state-sponsored activity; organised crime; and violence against front-line security officers; and violence against women and girls.” On the need for security professionals to keep up their CPD (continued professional development), she pointed to the National Security Act 2023, and the guidance issued early this year by the Home Office.
She spoke of a need for a collective approach to upskilling, for security as a first choice career ‘and indeed those of us on second and third careers’, such as herself; and for the level for as an option for newcomers to the industry and security professionals: “We hope it will set the bar high across the board.” As Emma Shaw set out, the qualification was part of, and possibly thanks to, a wider body of work such as by the Security Skills Board (chaired by Jason Towse of Mitie, among those present) and by Chartered Security Professionals (whose register is kept by the Security Institute; hence a noticeable turn-out of Institute people, notably chief executive Simon Hepburn, and past chairs Prof Alison Wakefield and Mike Bluestone.
For more about the level four qualification, visit the SFJ Awards website. More in the July 2025 edition of Professional Security Magazine.
