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SKILLS FOR SUCCESS
NEWS
Penny Winder of Alpha Parking explains why the new qualifications are a step in the right direction
he BPA’s Learning & Development Network ran a forum to provide an overview of the new parking qualifications available to the sector. These new qualifications aim to help meet the objectives of the Traffic Management Act 2004 (TMA), which places an emphasis on both staff training and continuous professional development (CPD).
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The qualifications have been developed in line with the operational guidance introduced by the Department for Transport (DfT) in March 2008, stating that: ‘Authorities should make sure that all civil enforcement officers (CEOs), back office staff, supervisors and managers are trained to provide accurate, fair and consistent enforcement.’ At Alpha Parking, we are happy to see that the sector is meeting these aims through the development of qualifications within the sector. Further to the release in 2010 of the City & Guilds Level 3 Award in Notice Processing, there are now two further courses to add to the growing portfolio of available qualifications. In 2011, the City & Guilds Award and Certificate in Managing Parking Operations (Levels 3, 4 and 5) was released, and this has been quickly followed by the release of the updated Level 2 Parking Enforcement Officer qualification in early 2012 – City & Guilds Level 2 Award in Parking Enforcement.
This can only be good news for the sector
There is a growing demand for
management qualifications, with a number of organisations interested in providing their staff with the opportunities for continued professional development these programmes offer
qualifications available to parking operators at different levels. Having spent more than a decade involved in parking, l consistently see the need to engage enforcement officers in updating their knowledge and acquiring relevant qualifications. This enhances the quality of service delivery.
My current role in parking operations includes the monitoring of quality of enforcement, and customer service delivery. I realise that I need to keep updated and get advice on the relevant and up-to-date qualifications necessary to move parking forward. Over the years, as my knowledge
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has broadened, l have been able to make a positive impact on employees’ efficiency, professionalism, confidence and readiness to make a career out of parking. Furthermore, from an employer’s point of
view, a clear development and career pathway is a good way to reduce staff turn-over as an appreciable number of enforcement officers rapidly get interested in learning and developing their skills in the parking field. This means that parking contractors can spend time on strategy rather than spending a lot of time involved in the process of employing, mentoring and supervising new staff.
as further accredited development provides parking staff with more opportunities not only to improve their skills for their current role, but also with a clear route of progression within the workforce. This is something that is extremely important. Learning and development not only helps to build the confidence and professionalism of a workforce but, by providing a clear route through different levels and skills, helps keep staff motivated. It is this confidence and the ability to retain staff for long periods of time that helps a local authority to achieve fairness and consistency in parking enforcement. The new qualifications have expanded the areas in which a delegate can receive an accredited qualification. Whereas the previous City & Guilds Award for Civil Enforcement Officers (CEOs) only provided for CEOs, the new City & Guilds Award in Parking Enforcement contains units for parking attendants enforcing under the road traffic regulation act 1984, the parking enforcement officers operating on private land, underpinned by the BPA’s Approved Operator Scheme, and closed circuit television (CCTV) enforcement officers.
The new management qualifications will also have a positive effect as supervisors and managers from across the whole breadth of the sector will be able to work through levels 3, 4 and 5 to gain qualifications that not only represent their managerial and leadership status but are also specific to the parking profession. Further professional development is something the industry has been craving and the response has been positive. Alpha Parking has already provided a number of City & Guilds Level 2 Awards in Parking Enforcement this year. We have found that local authorities are interested both in continuing to provide CEOs with development and in offering opportunities to CCTV officers and parking attendants under RTA 1984. There is also a growing demand for the management qualifications, with a number of organisations interested in providing their staff with the opportunities for continued professional development these programmes offer. There are still areas within the parking
industry that as yet do not have any accredited qualifications, such as traffic orders, but based on the gradual increase of development we have seen over the last few years, these cannot be far behind.
MAY 2012 27
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