FM CAREERS - TRAINING
MAY 2021 57
Over the past few years the
role of the security o icer
had extended beyond being
a reassuring and deterring presence
on-site, to taking advantage of new
technologies to aid their performance.
In more recent times, security people
have been expected to meet ever
changing expectations with the
challenges of COVID-19.
By extending the security o„ icer’s
remit beyond traditional protection,
organisations can create new value
through the role. Security o„ icers can
e„ ectively respond to all kinds of threats
and become an extension of your
customer service function. Dynamic
rostering, service design, and technology
can all make security teams more
e„ icient and cost-e„ ective.
Taking an outcome-driven approach
and looking at the bigger goals and
objectives of a security service will create
a more cost e„ icient and results-driven
security team. Engaging with security
experts early-on in designing the
scope of the service required, can help
organisations invest in the right mix of
o„ icers and technology. This approach
allows for specialist security o„ icers to
be recruited and upskilled for a specific
organisation and technology set-ups.
They can hit the ground running, with
the right skills to work with CCTV and
access control, understand data from
incident management systems, and
make decisions that influence security
and operations.
INVEST IN TRAINING
Importantly, giving security o„ icers
greater career development and a wider
scope of work can help to keep them
engaged and satisfied in their roles.
A core part of this involves training. A
bespoke training package that covers all
mandatory training (such as licensing
and counter-terrorism) is the first step.
Progressive security providers should
be able to o„ er their employees
development opportunities in a diverse
range of skills, such as customer service,
business continuity, crisis management,
and emergency or first response (to
name but a few).
This creates a well-rounded security
o„ icer who is prepared for many
situations and can interact with a
range of people. Creating clear learning
pathways and capability frameworks will
also tell o„ icers what skills they need to
acquire in order to reach the next level.
This gives them goals to aim for when
upskilling and also shows that their
employer is engaged with their career
growth.
LONG-TERM CAREERS
Providing training opportunities for
sta„ can also improve retention,
as research has shown that 46 per
cent of workers say that they will
leave their employer if they don’t
see a commitment to their learning.
Employers who therefore do invest in
their employees engender loyalty and
therefore long- term benefits.
This is something recently experienced
by Fiza Ali, an employee at Wilson James
who is currently seconded to a museum
group in central London. Aœ er working
for three years as a security o„ icer she
undertook a six-month leadership
course. She gained enormously from the
training, which resulted in promotion to
current role as team leader.
As an individual’s talents increase,
the scope of their skills can be
reconsidered and reassigned, adding
more value to the customer and –
importantly - better job satisfaction
for the employee. Employees can also
take these talents into their personal
lives and communities in positive ways,
expanding the impact of the investment
made in individuals.
THE NORMALISATION OF
HYBRID LEARNING
Long gone are the days of solely
learning in a classroom. For some skills,
requiring in-person interaction (such as
behaviour detection awareness where
understanding body language and tone
are vital), physical on-site training will
remain the best method. Yet, for other
learning programmes like onboarding
or upskilling someone in basic digital
skills, security companies can provide
a wealth of online learning which can
now be completed on-the-go through
bite-size learning via online hubs, videos,
podcasts, articles and more.
Hybrid learning has been embedded
in our workplaces due to COVID and it
is very unlikley that we’ll go back to a
classroom only environment. Hybrid
learning is the future for all industries,
including security.
GREATER CONFIDENCE
The end result of such e„ orts is a
security workforce that can go above
and beyond to surprise and delight, and
deliver true peace-of-mind. It’s ultimately
about professionalising the security
role, with specialised qualifications and
knowledge, a dedicated career path, and
membership of di„ erent professional
bodies and institutes.
This approach is proving popular
with the o„ icers themselves. Ricardo
Da Silva, a security o„ icer based in
London, joined Wilson James due to its
opportunities for growth and promotion.
During his five-and-a-half-year security
career to-date, he has worked at some
major corporates. He is currently
completing a customer service course
covering front-of-house skills, policies,
procedures, and events security. Prior
to this, Da Silva completed courses
on hostile reconnaissance, as well as
emergency first aid.
Training has also equipped Da Silva
with the digital skills he needed to
increasingly use technology in his role.
SECURITY, AT ITS BEST
At its heart, security is still focused
on protecting and reassuring people.
Yet, the role of the security o„ icer
continues to become more bespoke
and customer-focused. As Fiza Ali, Team
Leader at Wilson James says, “We really
pride ourselves on making people feel
welcome and safe... It’s about trying to
be the best version of yourself.”
TRAINING GUARDS The security guard role has become ever-more complex in the wake of evolving threats
across digital and physical domains. This requires ever most specialist training, says
Gemma Quirke – Chief Operating Offi cer (COO), Wilson James