PSIApril2017

PANEL
“As an industry
shouldn’t we want to
look for tomorrow’s
future technicians
today? Take the
electrical sector as a
good model. They
seem to have the
correct approach for
us to adopt”
(from previous page)
installers. Rather than having to wait until the
apprentices are trained to professional
standards, companies can prosper from faster
and easier installations now, while training the
next generation at the same time. By increasing
efficiency and working smarter with wireless
technology, installation companies can increase
their profitability by minimising the time they
have to spend on site and subsequently become
more appealing to young engineers.
Broadband, smart devices, automation, IP,
cloud and applications are the norm and
security needs to feed into this through wireless
technology. Moving to commercial wireless
installations is more in keeping with the
evolution of technology in other sectors and
makes security relevant in a digital age. Not only
that, but by embracing this change it would also
show apprentices how to fit the faster and
future technology.
Wired systems are often very messy, invasive
and time consuming to fit, while wireless
systems are quick, clean, simple and feed into
cloud technologies, which also opens the
system to remote maintenance and diagnostics.
Having a security system where the installation
company can ascertain the issue, before
sending the engineer to site, or even being able
to rectify it remotely, surely has positive
implications?
So, utilising wireless technology, alongside
apprenticeship programmes, will drive
efficiency, provide more functionality, be more
appealing for young engineers and tackle the
skills shortage in the interim and long term.
David Davies - DVS
Apprentices are the key to the
future success of the industry
and its growth and
development. For me going
back 20 years ago when I
embarked on my journey into
this industry I was privileged
to be part of a new apprentice initiative with a
major national company, enabling me to develop
a broad spectrum of skills and experience in the
classroom as well as in the field in a real life
working environment where you sometimes
need to be creative with solutions. Whilst there
are still some active apprenticeship schemes
running, they no longer seem to be widespread
across the industry.
As an industry shouldn’t we want to look for
tomorrow’s future technicians today? Take the
electrical sector as a good model. They seem to
have the correct approach for us to adopt ,
where young enthusiastic individuals are taken
into the system and given a mixture of
classroom based tuition and field based
experience, where they are monitored and
assessed to ensure that what they are being
taught is not only being applied by them but
also that the work is undertaken in a safe,
correct and consistent manner, and only after
they have qualified would they be certified to
work on electrical systems without supervision.
This is surely the right approach for the security
industry as it continues to professionalise.
Promoting apprentice schemes should
hopefully generate an influx of hard working
individuals who would then form the
foundations for skilled individuals to continue to
lead our industry into tomorrow’s technology
whilst also assuring that standards are
maintained and technical knowledge is also
applied. We would all surely see the benefit
from improved ability, fresh ideas and
knowledge that such schemes would promote.
Stephen D Green -
Security Institute
Contemplating this question
plays to my professional
schizophrenia. I am both an
electronics engineer and a
security professional; two
disciplines that often compete
for influence over my world view. This is yet
another such occasion.
From a technological perspective, there is
little we touch daily that is unique to the
security industry. We design, install and
maintain a plethora of mechanical, electrical,
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