It’s national apprenticeship week. The British Security Industry Association (BSIA), its training subsidiary Skills for Security and member, the guarding company SecuriGroup, have launched an apprenticeship for front-line security personnel.
As the trade association has said, the UK is facing an acute shortage of security officers, an increased demand for security services, and an ageing workforce generally. Add Brexit and the social and economic effects of the covid-19 pandemic, and the BSIA estimates the country needs around 62,000 new security officers.
The landmark Security Officers Services Apprenticeship (Level 5 SVQ Apprenticeship in Providing Security Officer Services) was launched in Scotland in 2021 and has recently seen its first cohort complete the course. It’s funded 12-months, and covers Fire Safety, Mental Health Awareness, Conflict Management, Counter Terrorism and Safeguarding.
Marcia Mackay, pictured, now a SIA-licensed Security Officer with the Glasgow-based guard firm SecuriGroup, is one of the first students to have completed the Security Officers Services Apprenticeship. Marcia said: “I think there’s a real opportunity to change the industry. Getting more young people and women in is a big part of that. I think we’re compassionate. We listen. To get the best outcomes with the public, that’s what you need. It’s also just a great place to grow life skills. Team working, social engagement, just stepping up and taking responsibility; I’ll be using those skills for the rest of my life.”
Marcia, who has been with SecuriGroup for six years, is now working towards further accreditation with the aim of becoming a security manager.
There are over 500 students on Skills for Security apprenticeships across the UK on courses that range from Fire Emergency and Security Systems to Security First Line Manager. Organisers anticipate that the Security Officers Services Apprenticeship will go live in the rest of the UK in summer 2023.
BSIA Chief Executive Mike Reddington said: “Recognised qualifications and defined career pathways are a key part in changing perceptions of what a role in the security industry looks like; it is an essential role in keeping people, property and places professionally protected.
“Young people like Marcia, who are completing their security apprenticeships are showing that there are very real opportunities for development – both personally and professionally. There’s more to a career in security than wearing a hi-viz vest.”
SecuriGroup has been delivering security training and apprenticeships for five years. It has 30 students enrolled on the Security Officers Services Apprenticeship programme.
David Brook, Training & Development Manager at SecuriGroup, said: “We’ve been an approved training provider within the industry for more than 20 years. With our expertise, our commitment to quality and our robust assessor capabilities, we’re providing individuals with tangible and transferable skills, and creating the calibre of security professionals the industry needs.
“We will take our initial success with this programme and replicate it across Scotland becoming a benchmark for the UK in how security apprenticeships should be delivered.”
Marcia’s story
It began with a careers fair, while Marcia studied sports coaching at the City of Glasgow College. She says: “The day-to-day variety of the job jumped out right away. I knew I wanted things to stay fresh, and I wanted to get out of my comfort zone, so I just went for it.”
She joined SecuriGroup as a safety steward. When Harry Styles formerly of One Direction played the Ibrox Stadium in Glasgow in June 2022, Marcia’s friends were rushing for tickets; she while stewarding had a front-row view. “To have one of the biggest musicians in the city was exciting enough. To be a part of it though; to help everyone enjoy the experience and soak in the atmosphere was just something else.”
When Skills for Security and SecuriGroup introduced the ‘Level 5 SVQ Apprenticeship in Providing Security Officer Services’ (the Security Officers Services Apprenticeship), Marcia leapt at the chance. Besides, it expanded the horizons of a career in the industry, “The scope of what I could do, and where I could go, was inspiring. I could relax, knowing that I would get trained affordably, in a way that fit around the work I was already doing. But I was also able to look ahead and really see a future for myself.”
