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The Security Skills Board invited some 60 industry people to FM firm Mitie’s head office at The Shard on January 22, to hear what’s next for skills development. The Board, now a Community Interest Company (CIC) has Jason Towse of Mitie as chair, pictured; and deputy Adrian White of Carlile Support Services. They propose to launch a Security National Skills Academy and as part of this, develop a Security Skills Passport.
The criminologist and consultant Prof Martin Gill presented the findings of an inaugural National Security Skills Survey. A particular focus was on the skills needs of security operatives employed by micro-firms, and SMEs (‘small and medium enterprises’, up to 500 employees) so as to inform the development of services for the Academy. The results concluded that most, 66pc of those surveyed felt that obtaining funding to pay for training courses was a significant barrier to the career development of security operatives. Some 44pc of those surveyed cited the lack of accessibility to training courses as a barrier. Hence, the Board argues, the need for a National Skills Academy to support security operative development in the private sector; covering skills and knowledge, career development and management training.
An initial phase of development of the Skills Board and the early development stages for the Academy has been supported by funding from the Skills Board, early investors and the UK regulator Security Industry Authority (SIA). As National Skills Academies have traditionally been funded via Government and employer-matched funding, the Skills Board also highlighted a need for employers to aid the creation of the academy and called for financial and pastoral support.
The trainer Bob Betts, Board Sponsor for the proposed Academy Accreditation Scheme and, Lisa Baskott held a Q&A on ideas of how this will set a standard for training management, product development and delivery. Training providers and trainers can be assessed and endorsed by the scheme to aspirational standards and see that Academy training products are capability-based and aligned to a ‘profession map’.
Also launched at the event were a capability framework and โProfession Mapโ by Board member Gemma Quirke, a career pathway for private security and a pilot mentoring scheme โMomentumโ, designed by Rosa Osman and presented by Paul Lawton-Jones, Managing Director of Mercury Training. The aim; to produce an upskilled workforce to offer career progression; and employers who will in turn have access to better-trained workforce.
Jason Towse, Managing Director, Business Services, Mitie said: โIโve been part of the security sector for over 30 years and this was the largest gathering of industry leaders that I can remember. I was overwhelmed by the spirit of collaboration and shared purpose in the room and have been amazed by the overwhelming offers of support from the industry including from previous members of the Board and the SIA.
โThe National Skills Academy will be central to ensuring our sector offers access to meaningful and practical development opportunities and we welcome the sector coming together to support it, whether itโs through investing in the Academy, mentoring, signing the Skills Pledge or just simply continuing dialogue with the Skills Boards about skills. Weโre excited to work together to make security a career of choice.โ
Teams events
He and Adrian White are hosting an online event on Microsoft Teams on Monday afternoon, March 3, to go over the subject. Gemma Quirke and Rosa Osman, who’s Director People Development at the guarding firm Wilson James, are running another event on Teams workshop about the ‘map’ on April 17, and May 1.
Background
While talk of such a skills board pre-dated the covid pandemic, it was set up in March 2022 by the Security Industry Authority (SIA) and the membership group of mainly London-based guarding contractors the City Security Council (CSC). Members of the board are:
Jason Towse, Managing Director, Mitie (chair);
Adrian White, Chief Operating Officer, Carlisle Support Services (deputy chair);
Lisa Baskott, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, 2nd Line of Defence;
Satia Rai, Chief Operating Officer, Leverage Security (Chief Executive Officer, IPSA);
Gemma Quirke, Chief Operating Officer, Wilson James;
Alistair Sutherland, Deputy Chief Constable, British Transport Police;
Rosa Osman, Director, People Development;
Robert M Betts, Managing Director, Elite Academy;
Patrick Holdaway, Superintendent, National Business Crime Centre; and
Paul Lawton-Jones, Managing Director, Mercury Training Services.
Visit www.security-skills.org.
