PSIApril2017

PANEL
“The future of the life
safety sector relies on
employers passing on
their skills and
knowledge to the next
generation and
supportive companies
are likely to be
rewarded with strong
loyalty and a positive
work ethic”
(from previous page)
Brett Ennals - Cento
Group
This seems to be a perpetual
question and the answer is, as
always, it is extremely
important for the UK security
and fire sector to employ
apprentices to tackle the longterm
skills shortage. If this problem isn’t
addressed the industry will continue to see a
surge in wage demands and engineers
migrating to sub-contracting, as the war for
talent intensifies. There are some excellent
initiatives out there promoting apprentices in
the industry, however, it is everyone’s
responsibility to market the industry to young
people as a career of choice and not just
industry bodies and apprenticeship
campaigners. The biggest problem I can see in
attracting apprentices is the lack of awareness
of the industry in schools and colleges and to
overcome this needs a collective effort.
Dina Mistry - Gent by
Honeywell
The skills shortage within the
life safety industry continues
to cause serious concern and
apprenticeships are certainly
the best way to stem the tide
and encourage high calibre
people to build a career in it.
According to the government, in 2015-16
there were 509,400 apprenticeship starts in
England. This might sound impressive but 54
per cent of all apprenticeship starts were in two
sectors – business, administration and law; and
health, public service and care. This means that
a lot of sectors – life safety included – are not
providing as many apprenticeship opportunities
as are needed to ensure a steady stream of ‘new
blood’.
At the same time as making the industry
more appealing by highlighting the vital role
that life safety technology plays in keeping
people, property and assets safe, employers
must also be encouraged to offer more
apprenticeship opportunities. Employers are
often unwilling to engage apprentices due to a
combination of time, cost and administrative
implications, and this must be addressed if
progress is to be made.
Furthermore, amongst apprentices there is a
significant drop out rate. Some employers
simply don't put enough checks and balances in
place to select the most appropriate person,
and even those that do can later face issues
with getting someone with a desire to learn.
However, often it’s the fault of the employer
who is inept at mentoring the young person in a
motivational way – in which case they may need
to upskill their own workforce in order to
maximise the benefits for both parties.
The future of the life safety sector relies on
employers passing on their skills and
knowledge to the next generation and
supportive companies are likely to be rewarded
with strong loyalty and a positive work ethic.
According to the National Apprenticeship
Service (NAS) after finishing their
apprenticeships the majority of apprentices (85
per cent) will stay in employment, with twothirds
(64 per cent) staying with the same
employer.
Kim Loy - Vanderbilt
I think apprenticeships are
extremely valuable to the
security industry. There are
only a couple of educational
organisations that provide the
training required and,
unfortunately, are not overly
engaging in attempts to attract young
engineers.
I believe that employers need to actively
promote programs that attract young talent and
also follow up with appropriate compensation
schemes that should ensure these engineers
feel comfortable making this their long-term
career.
Security is constantly changing with
technology and therefore provides options for
continued learning and career advancement.
It’s a great industry to be in – and these young
apprentices will be the future mentors for
others joining our industry!
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