Mitie joined other security industry actors in signing Security Skills Board pledge to ensure a comprehensive, accessible and consistent framework of learning in security industry.
Jason Towse, Managing Director, Mitie Business Services and Chair of the Security Skills Board said: “This plan will lay out fresh thinking for the security industry, in particular how the Security Skills Board will approach its role in supporting the industry to address the skills challenges it faces, and its early work in creating a destination for excellence.”
The Security Skills Board, which was launched last year by Security Industry Authority (SIA) and the City Security Council (CSC) in response to calls from the industry to address the need for higher standards of professionalism in the private security industry, have started a project to develop an inclusive capability framework for private security industry.
Explaining the project, Gemma Quirke, vice chair to the board and Chief Operating Officer of Wilson James, said: “At present we have so many great examples of good CPD across our industry but what we don’t have is a visible, inclusive, universal framework to enable us to align good standards of performance with existing courses and qualifications.
“We don’t but should have a clear pathway for private security future career development.”
Gemma Quirke said not having a clear pathway often means losing security professionals to other industries as it can be hard for people to know what opportunities exist to develop their careers or how to achieve the career progression they deserve.
“The plan is to develop a private security profession map which details the capabilities required for current and future roles and a career pathway which supports and facilitates career development and progression,” she continued.
A research organisation has been appointed by the SIA in line with this purpose to develop this work and there are many ways for industry professionals and associations to support the research and development process for the profession map:
To get involved, security professionals can:
Be interviewed one-to-one or attend a focus group over Teams about their roles, what they do and how they do it,
Take part in a number of forthcoming workshops exploring the purpose and values that underpin private security work,
Join the project working group – the SIA have set up the project group on behalf of the Security Skills Board and group members will be testing and validating the map.
Security Skills Board invites all security professionals to come forward and take part in the research.
Steve McCormick, the SIA’s Director of Licensing and Standards, said: “This is a significant opportunity for the private security industry, and it is exciting to see senior leaders come together to join the skills board and invest their resources in driving forward skills development as part of professionalising the industry.
“The skills board will help to develop the industry’s capability, capacity and excellence for competency.
“We will be working with the board to support a strategic approach to skills development that will strengthen the contribution the industry makes to protecting the public and enhancing community safety, as well as increasing the ability of industry employers to attract, develop and retain their employees and further professionalise private security.”
If you would like to know more or get involved, please contact skills@sia.gov.uk.
(Source: LinkedIn)
