Continual Professional Development (CPD) is a much used corporate catechism but fundamentally it means a “professional” is engaged in continuously developing their skillset, whether through formal structured learning, or through self-development and mentoring. In short they are proactively ensuring their continual development. Personal effectiveness is an essential of professional leadership and effectiveness is supported by the ability to enhance, develop and improve existing skills.
Academic achievement is an important addition to an individual’s knowledge base. Coupled with practical experience relevant professional qualifications can enable individuals to move beyond being a technician or practitioner. But what of the security industry? What is our career path? How do you become a security professional?
best practice. Without an appreciation of what has happened before how can we as professionals influence the future?
Horizon Scanning is useful not only for identifying emerging trends and future areas of growth but in the context of how individuals interact with one another. Twitter is a good example of something that has grown into a mainstream communication platform utilised by many businesses and industries for the dissemination of urgent operational information.
Professionals embrace complexity in the world and understand that today’s problems are not isolated. It is often necessary to work with other professionals to achieve goals and a professional will not hesitate to consult and collaborate with others to achieve those goals.
The way we do business is changing; businesses are becoming much more streamlined and working methods more efficient and flexible. This is largely to enable organisations to meet their business demands as well as provide flexible working conditions, increase efficiency and realise cost savings. It is therefore logical that as security professionals our roles and the way we work will change to meet and adapt to these demands and changes. This will continue to evolve. and if we are to respond and provide professional security services to our clients, either as service providers or indeed as in- house security teams, we do need to consider our own personal development and ensure that our skills remain current and relevant. There are many ways of achieving this through either academic or vocational training and through self development supported by membership of a professional security membership organisation such as the Security Institute, which provides guidance, mentoring, knowledge centre forums and the like. This kind of forum also provides opportunities to share experiences and best practice guidance with colleagues and associates in a trusted environment.
In 2011, the Register of Chartered Security Professionals was launched. For successful registrants, the designation of being a Chartered Security Professional (CSyP) is the recognition of their skills as a professional in their field of expertise. This is an essential step if the profession of security is to take its place alongside other high-calibre disciplines in the public and private sectors. How could anyone not want to be part of this?
Emma Shaw CSyP, Chairman The Security Institute
www.security-institute.org © CI TY S ECURI TY MAGAZ INE – SUMMER 2014
Taking security education to the next level
A
s the job market becomes more competitive, universities offering security
related degrees are seeing a growth in student numbers, and new courses are being created. The latest include MSc courses in Nuclear Security (Cumbria) and Maritime Security (Greenwich), welcome developments that are extending the choice and number of institutions involved in security education.
Following a masters degree, a growing number of security practitioners are seeking the next step. This may involve an MBA, or a step upwards to doctoral level. A PhD is based on a supervised research study of about 80,000 words, and on a part-time basis this takes about six years. Many practitioners are opting for the alternative route of a Professional Doctorate, involving a more manageable four years of part-time study.
What is a professional doctorate?
Professional doctorates began to emerge in the UK in the 1990s. They have been driven by growing demand among professionals for higher level academic qualifications and increasing engagement in continuing professional development. There has also been more emphasis by government, industry and universities on promoting educational routes that are better tailored to the needs of practitioners and the wider economy.
Professional doctorate courses are subject specific. They comprise a taught element for the first two years, usually delivered in short blocks to accommodate individuals working full-time, and then involve two years of supervised research leading to a thesis. The taught phase offers students the camaraderie of a group studying in the same subject area, and more structure and support than a PhD,
Courses include Portsmouth’s new Security Risk Management programme; Policing, Security and Community Safety at London Metropolitan University, and Information Security at East London. Other options are the Doctorate of Business Administration offered at a number of universities, or Criminal Justice at Portsmouth and De Montfort Universities.
Such courses not only enhance individual professional development. They will increasingly support the development of targeted research by practitioners for practioners, strengthening the evidence base underpinning security practice.
Dr Alison Wakefield Senior Lecturer in Security Risk Management, University of Portsmouth
www.port.ac.uk
Head of the Research Directorate, Security Institute
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