Security systems training (@RTC, Aldershot)

What’s on at the Resettlement Training Centre, Aldershot?

Security systems training

After years of relative stability in the security industry, everything is happening at once. The most profound changes are those associated with the launch of the Security Industry Authority (SIA) and the work it is now doing to introduce compulsory individual licensing, followed in time by an approved companies scheme. While the most significant changes mainly affect the guarding sector, there are others that are impacting on the security industry in different ways, notably competence.

In the systems sector, the recently implemented DD243 code of practice for the installation and configuration of intruder alarm systems is now up for review. The introduction of European standards to replace the current British ones has been rescheduled to 1 March 2004, and the revised risk assessment process that accompanies this change is now being disseminated. Within the RTC we are implementing these standards and requirements in our courses so that we continue to prepare Service leavers for an industry undergoing significant change that will hopefully benefit both it and its customers.

Change always involves hard work, with objectors looking for a more comfortable ride. However, even with inevitable opposition to these new standards, once they are implemented and things settle down, no one will care about the effort required. But the pain of transition can vary, and success depends largely on the approach taken. There are three basic types:

- ignore what is happening until it actually happens

- fight change in the trenches

- understand the implications of the change and prepare for a smooth transition.

Taking steps to meet the challenge rather than ignoring or fighting it gives more options, more flexibility and a competitive advantage. So we are implementing these industry changes in these ever-popular courses to deliver content that provides the skills required for today and for the future.

The RTC provides a good foundation, covering industry regulations, customer care, and correct installation and servicing techniques (including false alarm prevention), and potential employment opportunities have increased. Training for jobs is important and there is plenty of work for Service leavers attending the electronics foundation, CCTV, access control, basic and advanced intruder alarms City & Guilds 1859 courses.

Achieving contacts at the right level in the industry – with even the biggest names working on a regional basis – has increased the number of employment opportunities and successful applications. There are still more doors to open with better-known companies encouraged to visit the Centre and recruit directly from courses. Employers generally recognise that Service people have the qualities required to become good engineers, and that formal training in essential theoretical and practical skills is all that is required to enable them to reduce the shortfall of good-quality security installation and service technicians.

Organisations that have employed course attendees appreciate their quality and frequently come back for more of the same. The British Security Industry Association’s (BSIA’s) technical manager, himself ex-Forces, has held meetings for its members at the RTC. After covering the agenda, visitors see the workshop and classroom, and have a chat with students on the courses. They are invariably pleasantly surprised at course content and environment. These potential employers will usually conclude that the training centre prepares the Service leaver well for the industry.

At the beginning of each course, students provide details of their discharge date, the courses they will be attending, and the area in which they are looking to settle; these are then sent to the BSIA. Some individuals may even be offered employment before the end of their courses; a few can be spoilt for choice and become involved in a bidding war between employers.

New licensing requirements and the need for anyone operating security systems to be deemed competent – meaning trained and qualified – should be good news for those Service leavers that are already gaining underpinning knowledge towards an NVQ.

Attending these courses is not an easy way into a new career. They are intense because of the amount of content, but students are gaining the best possible start in the industry. Opportunities exist for Service leavers from all trades. Those without an electrical and electronics background must complete a two-week foundation course to provide the core knowledge many security systems technicians currently lack. From the outset, potential employers and manufacturers deliver product-specific training, while some employers even hold informal interviews at the centre, often with an offer of employment. People interested in self-employment may also build contacts, with a local company setting up at least six individuals in places from Aldershot up to Elgin. Courses on offer total eight weeks, and they are also available on a stand-by basis if they are not filled by Service leavers.

For further information visit the CTP website at www.ctp.org.uk or contact the Resettlement Training Centre at Aldershot on 01252 348520/637/519 (Aldershot Military 94222) 3520/3637/3519