security sector is evolving as a career choice for young people
Police or Military background?
The traditional view is that only those from a military or police background can progress in the security industry. Alison Wakefield explains, “It is unsurprising that security employers rely so heavily on individuals with military or police backgrounds, given the wealth of training and experience they receive that is rarely available elsewhere.”
But she believes that the industry should develop to enable a broader intake, “Ideally the sector should be structured in such a way as to attract the best candidates, whatever their background, and be in a position to develop them so as to ensure a rounded skill set.”
This is already happening in areas. John Roddy says, “Although there is an increase in retired police officers wanting to join, new applicants into the business, without police or military experience, are successful. What is important are strong communication skills and a positive attitude.”
Peter French agrees, “The need for a military or police background is relative to the post applied for. If you are going for a senior job, then a board may be more comfortable with senior police or military background. But they need an eclectic mix of skills, applicants need to be creative, innovative and have a good financial understanding.”
Alison Wakefield says, “Ideally, in due course more employers will develop summer internships (often based around an intern conducting a project and presenting it at the end of their term) and graduate trainee positions (frequently involving the rotation of trainees around different functions with a
© CI TY S ECURI TY MAGAZ INE – SUMMER 2013
view to placing them in a regular role at the end of the process).”
The Security Managers and Directors of the future
The training and development of the security managers of the future is clearly crucial to retaining and developing those working in the industry. Alison Wakefield outlines some of the issues in this area, “The field of security is not clearly defined, the knowledge base is scant and piecemeal, and there is no management qualification that is regarded as essential or any consensus as to what the curriculum for such a qualification needs to cover.” She continues, “The security discipline needs to be better defined, better informed, and in a better position to guide the development of individuals as well as providing more explicit progression pathways for them.”
However, there is significant progress. Peter French says, “The new Chartered Security Professional (CSyP) is the gold standard and shows you can go from cradle to grave within the profession, and is on par with other legitimate professions, such as accountancy and law; it is a serious step forward.”
Paul Tennent, Chairman of the BSIA Training Providers Section, adds, “It is extremely important to us that we challenge the status quo by striving for continuous improvement in how we behave as professionals, as well as how we operate our training businesses. We provide quality training set to the highest standards so that the wider security industry may thrive with the best-trained personnel. It is key, therefore, that we meet the needs of the industry by adhering to high professional standards.”
Graduate Intake
And what of the openings for graduates? Alison Wakefield says, “There are currently few opportunities for the more ‘traditional’ type of graduate, but they are another dimension of the labour market that the sector needs to harness and develop. All the major professions rely on new trainees coming directly from university, and by not building explicit graduate pathways into the sector we are missing out on high potential candidates.”
Peter French believes that graduates can all do well in this sector. He acknowledges that most businesses want graduates with experience, and encourages graduates to look for that experience, “Like the Archie Norman model, where he encouraged executives to spend some time on the shop floor, go and see how it works, then you will manage better.”
John Roddy concludes, “This is a challenging, stimulating, global and diverse sector. It welcomes graduates and those without qualifications, to commit to a long-term career.”
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