Now, after a long time in the cold, they’re back. The government has realised the folly of educating half a generation to university level with the exciting prospect of working in the Dog and Firkin to try to pay back their loan – while, at the same time, the nation suffers from vocational skills shortages.
Gone are the days when the ageing proprietor of Potters’s Padlocks would look up from his workbench and order his 14 year old apprentice to bring him The Daily Mirror and a suckling pig sandwich.
Now things are totally different (no, I don’t mean young Tyler now has to fetch a couscous dip and an Expresso Moche Latte).
Make way for Modern Apprenticeships (summed up nicely in this article).
In the last decade we’ve seen apprenticeships being championed by security “co-operatives” where groups of installers got together with local colleges to map out training schedules.
I attended many sessions of Sesco (the group operating in the south east) and was always impressed by the way competing installation companies suspended their rivalry for the good of the industry, and themselves, of course.
This was not duplicated in many other parts of the country, however, and the co-operative profile seems to have trailed off in the last few years with warnings of future skills shortages.
More recently, apprenticeships have been highlighted by initiatives such as the Apprentice Installer Awards organised by the BSIA and the Apprentice Skills Challenge that has taken place at IFSEC. The nationals, particularly, are supporting these initiatives. Now the government has launched Apprenticeship Week, supported in our industry by the training organisation, Skills for Security.
“Apprenticeships are traditionally seen as a thing of the past …” declared David Greer, chief executive. (I’m tempted to ask, if that’s the case how did they ever get started?).
However, his point that they provide a “great opportunity to gain both industry specific experience and a qualification to form the basis of their new career” is undeniable.
Honey on Training
Security Installer has given much coverage to apprenticeships and our regular writer Gerard Honey knows exactly what’s going on in their heads because he’s an assessor for the Level 3 NVQ scheme.
You may think you’ve got a good scheme running for your apps but what do they think? The course may be technically perfect but do you allow them enough time to travel between jobs? Does the fact they may look young and “be seen as an apprentice” affect their relationship with the customer? Do technical help departments talk down to them? These things can affect the installation so how can they be improved?
Look out for our series of training features (starting in the May edition) and meanwhile access Honey on Training – especially the feature “What lies ahead?” which looks at apprentices’ prospects.
Start the day the CIA way
Apprenticeships are one of the factors that have contributed to the notable success of a company in Gloucestershire – another factor being communal breakfast.
Cirencester Intruder Alarms has grown amazingly in 20 years from a home-based installation business to a regional centre of training excellence with a GB pound 1m new building re-development.
But it is still run as a family business and twice a week all the 40 employees sit down to have breakfast together. Sounds a nice place to work and check out the comment from a former apprentice who’s now heading up the Fire Division, recently started.
Join this brigade
Yes, CIA supports a couple of the pet themes you will often see in Security installer – apprenticeships and the move into the fire sector.
And now another reason to consider a jump into the fire sector – the rise and rise of video smoke detection.
According to a new report, this is predicted to be a major growth area in fire detection … and, of course, with their knowledge of CCTV, security installers are well placed to take advantage of this technology.
Already many companies have copied the European model and become “fire and security”. Many have been handheld in this over the last couple of years by ADI Gardiner who have spearheaded training. If you’re considering getting into this area read our two multi part features written by Peter Holmes – “Fear of Fire” and “Future Face of Fire“. And if you’re appetite has been whetted, there is still time to put Firex South at Sandown Park in your diary.
See you next time
Alan Hyder
editor, Security Installer
