Effective security training is key to
professionalising the security sector
Angus Darroch-Warren BA (hons) MSc CSyP FSyL PSP
The perennial
debate, whether the security sector can be described as a profession and those
who work in it as professionals, will only be settled when the necessary
professional traits are in place. This includes certification based on
competency, university level training and education and the development of
skills based on sector knowledge. We are moving towards meeting these
requirements and the Register of Chartered Security Professionals (CSyP), the
‘Gold Standard’ for practitioners, is an example of how the sector is moving to
meet these requirements.
The continued
professionalisation drive has led to the development of a number of vocational security
courses at undergraduate and postgraduate level, while the more enlightened
private training companies now align their courses with the National
Qualification Framework (NQF) and link their courses, through credit values, to
recognised higher education establishments and their academic programmes.
Effective,
quality training in various security skill sets is therefore an integral part
of professionalisation and key to business success - many businesses already
recognise that investing in training has a positive impact on improving staff
knowledge and skills.
However, some are
less aware that good quality training has much wider reaching benefits than
teaching core operational skills or ensuring compliance with mandatory licensing
requirements. Providing good quality training for employees demonstrates that
staff are valued by the business and is instrumental in staff retention, boosting
staff morale as well as improving
the bottom line.
Security professionals
are more aware than ever of the importance of having sound knowledge and
understanding of their field, however it is easy to overlook the importance of
also developing a versatile, transferable skill set alongside expertise in a
chosen discipline. In fact, transferable skills should be a key component of
any rounded CV particularly in a challenging economic climate where the ability
to demonstrate viable transferable skills will provide a significant
competitive advantage. Examples of transferable skills include (but are in no
way limited to) business management and financial skills, leadership, people
management, evaluation/critical thinking, information gathering/research and
communication skills.
Delivery of training has developed over the years and
with increasing workloads and fewer opportunities to take time out of work, it can be difficult to find time to learn, particularly
in a sector with irregular work schedules and a lot of travel. Thankfully, the
days where the only way to get a qualification is to attend a college once or
twice a week are gone. Many flexible learning options are now available, with
distance and online learning gaining popularity.
Distance learning can be as effective as traditional
face-to-face teaching when delivered correctly; this includes good quality
materials, a high standard of support from tutors, and appropriate and timely
feedback on assignments. Distance learning is used for a wide range of training
from short courses taking a few hours to complete to postgraduate
qualifications lasting a few years. Distance learning via e-learning, in particular,
is increasingly in demand as all the relevant course materials and contact with
tutors can be accessed using the internet.
The UK’s Security institute’s Certificate and Diploma
security management programmes are both delivered online and bear testimony,
through the increasing numbers of learners undertaking the courses, how quality
e-learning is now recognised and can bring tangible benefits to learners.
From a practical point of view, distance
learning courses often require a heavier investment in the development of
learning materials than face-to-face training - interactive elements, such as
online videos, take time to produce and can be costly. It must also be
remembered that high quality written materials remain the bedrock of any
effective distance learning courses and authors may need to learn new styles
and/or develop new skills to ensure material is appropriate for use in a
virtual learning environment. Maintaining the tutor-learner relationship must
also be considered as the availability of tutors and their ability to respond
to queries quickly is essential to supporting learners; it is therefore important
to consider how and when learners can contact tutors.
Given the wide
ranging benefits of distance learning, why should anyone choose face-to-face
learning? Face-to-face learning remains a popular method of learning (the
school and university systems are good examples here) and there are a number of
advantages to face-to-face teaching that are difficult to replicate effectively
within a distance learning programme.
The first reason
is quite simple: some people are just better suited to or prefer face-to-face
learning; different people learn in different ways and face-to-face teaching
suits some learning styles more than others.
Motivation
is a big factor too. It can be difficult to remain focused on distance
learning, particularly when this is completed part time. Life becomes a fine
balance between studying and other priorities and sometimes this has a big
impact on motivation and enthusiasm. One of the biggest advantages of
face-to-face learning therefore is the relatively shorter time in which
training can be delivered. Focusing exclusively on learning can be an exciting
and rewarding experience and it is much easier to keep motivation high over a
shorter timeframe.
There
are, of course, some skills that are easier to learn face-to-face than via
distance learning - it would be very difficult to learn to deep sea dive
without putting on a diving suit on and jumping into the sea! From a security sector
viewpoint, skills such as security surveying, conducting investigations,
interviewing and specifying security technology need to be taught using
practical, hands on methods such as scenario based instruction. Learning by
doing has proved a popular and effective delivery method although this does not
preclude supplementing ‘classroom’ learning with some on-line teaching on
theory (i.e. blended learning).
Face-to-face learning provides opportunities
to learn informally as well as formally - learners often learn from each other,
sharing individual experience, anecdotes and informal opinions about topics can
be useful discussion points. The
spontaneous questions arising from group discussions often provide interesting
learning points. The discussions in security management courses often bring up
key learning points which can be analysed in relation to an individual’s
working environment and the specific risk profiles of their organisation.
During face-to-face training tutors not only
have a chance to use interactive methods of learning such as role play and
scenario based exercises, they are also able to express their enthusiasm about
a subject in a more animated way. It is also easier for the tutor to gauge the
level of understanding throughout the course as part of the assessment process
– they simply need to look around and judge body language rather than assess
the nuances of language used in email or how someone sounds on the telephone.
Spending time with the learner will allow for one to one sessions to address
perceived weaknesses, something not usually available in a distance learning
programme.
Investing
in training is readily accepted as key for any business. However, training budgets have been stretched to
their limits over the past few years as the economy has slowed down. In some
cases, this has led to companies foregoing training altogether. In others,
focus has been placed on getting value for money, which often leads to poor
quality training if cost reduction is valued over quality. An over-emphasis
placed on getting the maximum number of people through the training rather than
concentrating on developing the key skills of core staff is also a potential
problem, particularly as generic training is unlikely to meet anyone’s needs
fully. Businesses
need to look beyond the training itself and to the people they are training,
they need to consider what the key security skills are that need to be
developed.
Contrary to popular belief, training
is actually more important during an economic downturn. A stiff economic
climate puts pressure on businesses to boost efficiency. Businesses need to
be highly skilled, innovative, and adaptive to succeed. By association staff
are likely to need a wider variety of skills and tools to do their job and it
is important to support their personal development through high quality vocational training.
