@ RTC Aldershot - Security management training

Security management training and security industry recruitment

The two-week resettlement course in Security Management run at Aldershot has proved to be a success story. It has also become extremely popular. During the course students have the opportunity to gain four separate certificates that will prove useful throughout the security industry. The course is overseen by the Security Industry Training Organisation (SITO), which certificates the two City & Guilds examinations involved: Professional Security Officer and Advanced Security Officer. During the course students will also be continually assessed for progress towards the third-and fourth-level certificates – those for Security Supervisor and Security Operations Manager.

With any of these four current security qualifications added to a military background, students stand a good chance of a future management role in the industry.

During the programme the students will visit two top IT companies at which security provision is ‘state of the art’. This is a highlight of the course. In addition, a major international security recruitment company visits the course with information on current trends and vacancies; there are also contacts throughout the UK and abroad covering all likely resettlement locations.

Feedback from past students confirms that they view their two weeks as crucial for anyone wishing to enter the security industry. A recent questionnaire, completed some six months after the course by ex-Staff Sergeant Colin Edwards graded it as ‘excellent’ and added that, ‘The qualifications PROFSEC/ADSEC helped to secure my employment. I was chosen above 30-plus other applicants with previous experience in security. But I am sure the ADSEC swung it my way.’ He is now working as a site security supervisor for Camelot Group plc in Liverpool.

Exam results for the past year indicate an average pass rate for all the examinations of 94 per cent, with only seven failures out of 148 papers, including a considerable number of distinctions.

For further details phone Bill Hodge on 01252 349427 (Aldershot Military 4427)

Employment in the security industry

The Career Transition Partnership has recently teamed up with SSR – a large European recruitment agency – to provide civilian work attachments and employment opportunities for Service leavers.

SSR Personnel started life as a manned guarding company, and has diversified into the security, fire, and health and safety sectors. Its operational hub is a large recruitment centre in Europe with links into North America, Australia, Moscow, Nepal and Continental Europe. It proudly claims to use ‘modern technologies, strategies and practices to keep a fighting edge’.

Its mission statement is ‘Quality through Selection’ – by which it means getting the right person into the right role. It charges its clients a fee and the service to the individual is free.

SSR currently has over 400 specialist vacancies. While most are in the security, fire, and health and safety sectors, the range and variety will surprise many people who still see security as ‘men with lanterns huddled around braziers’. Vacancies include roles such as corporate security officers, loss prevention or security managers, investigators, risk assessors, contingency planners, sales personnel and operations staff. A browse through its website at www.ssr-personnel.com demonstrates the diversity of skill sets and competencies required, and will help people to identify where they might fit into the industry.

Today’s recruitment market requires manoeuvring through computerised CV sifts, competency questionnaires, assessment centres, psychometric tests and interview panels. It also demands ability, knowledge and drive to compete in the job market; this is where recruitment companies state that, as experts, they can help people to put ‘their military savvy into commercial practice’.

Readers may already have made the decision to leave the Forces or may be coming to the end of their time. They must think about what they want to do and how to achieve it. They need to think about CVs, recognised courses, transferable skills, networking, location, realistic salary expectations and career aspirations.

Sadly, people often leave things too late, lack direction and do not ask the right questions. Early discussions will help Service leavers identify the most suitable option from CTP’s extensive list of professional courses. Its consultants can also suggest membership of professional bodies and associations that complement these courses, guide people on their chosen career path and suggest further areas of study. Apart from the lucky few, experience shows that people who have planned their resettlement, identified the correct courses and qualifications, and used the available networks are more likely to succeed than those who trust to last-minute inspiration.

For free and impartial advice on the security industry contact Barry Stokes at SSR Personnel ( www.ssr-personnel.com) Tel: 020 8626 3100