MITIE has announced what it is calling the security industry’s “first full-time apprenticeship scheme” in a bid to improve the image of security.
Apprentices will learn from experienced operators in MITIE’s Total Security Management business about administration, finance, how to understand risk, and front-line security techniques. They will also undergo management training, earning an NVQ Level 2 in their first year and an NVQ Level 3 in their second.
MITIE TSM’s managing director, Bob Forsyth, said in a press release that the security industry is at a crossroads, and that its image is changing.
The traditional security officer role will need to evolve to become a more intelligence-led and analytical career.
I wholeheartedly support [MITIE Chief Executive] Ruby McGregor-Smith’s passion to give talented young people a future and I’m certain that our programme will not only be a rewarding experience, but will identify talented individuals who will become future leaders in the security industry.
The apprentice programme is likely to attract a lot of interest in the security industry as a vocational career, rather than simply a job, and it reinforces MITIE’s record on recruiting young talent. In 2005, the company launched a regional programme called the Real Apprentice, a homage to the TV show chaired by Lord Alan Sugar (or Donald “not wearing a toupee, honest” Trump in the US). This was a scheme for young people living in London to overcome barriers to employment. Today, the Real Apprentice is open nationally to anyone over the age of 18 who might be struggling to find work due to homelessness, disability, or single parenthood. It has hosted 213 apprentices, with 158 going into a job.
100 in 100
The programme is backed by Skills for Security, which also supports the annual 100 in 100 campaign. That programme aims to recruit 100 apprentices into the security industry between IFSEC International in May and the Security Excellence Awards in October. This year’s 100 in 100 campaign is set to launch at IFSEC International on Monday 15 May.
Though the programme tends to focus on engineering roles, MITIE is hopeful that its full-time apprentice programme can identify young leaders, providing a viable alternative to the well-trodden path from armed forces and police roles into security.
Jason Towse, people services director at MITIE Total Security Management, said in the release:
We will raise the bar on apprenticeships in the security industry to identify emerging leaders. Qualifications and assessment must be rigorous and give customers confidence in our apprentices.
..of apprenticeships in the security industry should be welcomed, yes. It may very well shift the security stereotype and introduce a new generation of young people into an industry they may not even have considered. The attainment of qualifications also assists in reinforcing this image, however I don’t believe that ‘rigorously’ doing so will have any greater benefit than what experience in time will bring, except maybe on paper. In addition, the differences between public/private security and apprenticeships…well, id much rather work in the public sector than the private. I find surprisingly that although my job description is full of… Read more »