Magazine Who is protecting who

InstallersIntegrators - trade pagesA section in the industry-leading magazine for installers, integrators, big or small - in short, everyone who provides acommercial supply, installation or consultancy service.Here you can read about new standards, equipment, ideas - whatever you want more information about.Editor - Mark Rowemark@professionalsecurity.co.ukApprenticeshipsare yours to use... or loseIf our sector doesn’t makegreater use of the securityinstaller apprenticeshipframework, we could lose itfor good, says Stefan Hay,head of the Fire and SecurityAssociation.As a highly skilled sector, it is vital thatinto the security installation industry.Trainees can help businesses grow, and bring innew ideas as much of the technology involvedis second nature to young people. Meanwhile,the fostering of new talent ensures there is aclear succession strategy in place, as older staffretire. Apprentices have served us very wellover the years, but there is now a real risk wecould lose this essential resource. Only oneawarding organisation, City & Guilds (C&G),apprenticeship in security installation, and thisis in danger. The number of apprentices goingScaffoldgoldPanthera Group Ltd, theinstallers of scaffoldingalarms and site security,were presented on March11 with an NSI Gold medalfrom the Inspectorate’sChief Executive, Jeff Little OBE, at NationalSecurity Inspectorate (NSI) head office inMaidenhead (note new logo on the wall).UK scaffolding alarms provider to complywith NSI’s new code of practice for the design,installation and maintenance of scaffoldingalarm systems (NCP 115) under its NACOSSGold Scheme. The inspectorate says that theinstallation of scaffold alarms is a growing74APRIL 2013 PROFESSIONAL SECURITYthrough this framework simply isn’t enoughto make it cost-effective for C&G, or mostlarge awarding bodies, although some of thesmaller, more innovative, awarding bodiesmay consider it worth future investment. TheNVQ behind the apprenticeship, which is underreview, has been given a stay of execution fora further three years. But if numbers do notour apprenticeship framework – altogether. Partof the problem is the continued challengingfor employers to take on new staff at present.The last year has not been an easy one from abusiness perspective, and while we understandthey either feel they don’t have enough workon the horizon to justify the investment or theycan’t afford to do so. Many FSA memberswork closely with Skills for Security, whichhighlights the scale of the problem. JayneSale, Head of Commercial Services says thatat present, there are around 200 new learnersentering our sector each year. In reality weneed at least 550 for the framework to lookmore secure. If growing the absolute number ofwould certainly seem likely given the businessoutlook for the next three years – what couldwe as a sector do to protect our apprenticeship?Sale says: “Colleges offer the technical partof the training but are, of course, commercialmarket, but has neverbeen the subject of anyself-regulation or industry-code of practice introducedby NSI in January 2013,provides a benchmark.115 will, the NSI says,help to mitigate risk –protecting buildings aswell as the assets within.Also the aim is to eliminate malpractice andraise standards in the industry, and opening anew market for electronic security installers.Left to right are Neal James, Managing Directorof London SW19-based Panthera Group, andJeff Little, who said: “NCP 115 tackles anentirely new area in a sector that previouslyhad no set standards or best practice. I heartilycongratulate Panthera Group for leading theway in this niche security sector.” ❐businesses. They have to ensure the coursessystem isn’t delivering the volume required, weneed to look at new ways of delivering trainingthat is more accessible and cost effective.For instance, there are opportunities to usee-learning models.”GapPlaying devil’s advocate for a moment:does it matter if we lose our sector-commonalities between the skills needed forthe electrical apprenticeship, and our own.The answer is it matters very much. Otherour sector. Apprentices that go through theskills required to work independently insecurity installation, thus defeating the point ofwho don’t necessarily have the best interests ofapprentices, the industry or customers at heart.framework could lead to ‘rogue trainers’springing up, offering courses of dubious meritthat cost applicants money and not necessarilywork. The status quo cannot continue.New modelsIf it does, we lose a recognised way of trainingyoung people for the skills our industry needs,with little hope of replacing it with somethingas robust. We therefore need to look at newmodels of delivering our training that can makethe numbers add up for the awarding body– but we also need to look at what will helpThe FSA and related bodies such as Skills forSecurity would like to hear suggestions fromacross industry about what would be mosthelpful for you. What would need to be doneto help make taking on an apprentice moreviable? What needs to be provided in the offsitelearning provisions? This is our industry’sopportunity to defend something that’s vitalfor our success, because if we don’t use theapprenticeship framework, we’re going to loseit. And that will be a disastrous situation fromwhich it will be very hard to recover. ❐Visit .www.professionalsecurity.co.uk