The majority of these certificates originate from colleges or universities. Brilliant… but there’s a catch. In my experience, the bulk of these individuals (who have typically only been in the UK for a matter of weeks) can neither speak, write, read nor communicate in English.
Surely the end product of any work-oriented training course ought to be employment? The majority of these individuals have never worked within the security industry, either here or in their country of origin, nor have they worked as a door supervisor (traditionally one of the most difficult jobs in our sector).
It has become apparent that colleges, universities and some training providers are more interested in filling their lecture room seats in order to claim substantial Government grants than they are in turning out bona fide candidates. If these courses are being sold to prospective security operatives on the understanding that, on completion, they’ll be able to gain employment, those people are being exploited and filled with false hope.
Of course I fully understand – and am conversant with – the equal opportunities standards that apply to all learning institutions, but the end product of this training has to be employment and, at some point along the line, suitability must be a consideration.
If a candidate/prospective employee cannot communicate with clients who expect an experienced, licensed officer to watch over their site, and that person cannot converse with the general public and give direction where necessary, how can they possibly perform their duties to the required standards?
The security officer is expected to be able to write reports, use a telephone or liaise with the general public and/or the police. If they cannot perform these basic tasks then they become unemployable in this industry.
Under the Terms and Conditions of the Health and Safety at Work Act, I have a Duty of Care to ensure that all of the officers I train are able to communicate any threats made to themselves or the general public, or to report quickly and accurately on high risk situations that may occur while they’re on site.
My employer is constantly inundated with applications from these hopeful individuals who lack the basic requirements needed to be a security officer. This results in many hours of processing applications and the time needed for interviews. Individuals are being trained outside of the security industry.
They are then fed unrealistic expectations, and are not checked for their suitability for employment. In turn, this allows the easy attainment of the SIA licence which appears to be the ‘golden badge’ for finding work, whether or not the individual holding that badge is experienced, qualified or capable.
The training of security officers should be left solely to security industry trainers who know exactly what the industry requirements are, and what the client base wants. Until the learning institutions spoken of are more aware of officer suitability, they should refrain from interviewing in an industry of which they have little knowledge or understanding.
Terry Price MInstLM MISM, Training/Personnel Manager, GRB Security
