Release date: 14th May 2010
Skills for Security is pleased to announce that the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES) and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) have approved our bid to continue to represent the skills needs of the security sector, including developing and maintaining the National Occupational Standards (NOS), apprenticeship frameworks and supporting qualification development.
The purpose of the UKCES tender was to commission one or two organisations with the experience and capacity to continue and complete National Occupational Standards, vocational qualifications and apprenticeships for occupations not covered by re-licensed Sector Skills Councils. This included the security business sector.
Mike Burke, Director of Research and Development, at Skills for Security, comments: 'The process of bidding to keep our footprint has been a challenging task, but we were determined not to let the security sector down. Skills for Security was set up by the industry as a skills body in 2006 to ensure that the industry had a voice in the development of standards and career and qualifications pathways for the hundreds of thousands of people it employs. The employees at Skills for Security have excelled themselves in the time and effort they have put into the application process to provide evidence of the wealth of experience and expertise that we have in this area.'
NOS are a fundamental platform for supporting the skills of the security industry. Put simply they describe the knowledge and skills that people need to perform a job of work. They have over 115 uses, including designing training programmes, assessing the skills of the workforce, writing job descriptions and undertaking staff appraisals to name a few. Over the next 12 months Skills for Security will be prioritising their NOS development into four key areas. We will develop new suites of NOS for two new sectors of the industry, which are contract bailiffs and locksmiths and will also be reviewing the NOS and qualifications structures for security and loss prevention and community wardens. Skills for Security will shortly be contacting the security industry for their support to ensure that the NOS that are developed are fit for purpose for the industry.
David Greer, Skills for Security's Chief Executive, adds: 'This is a fantastic achievement for Skills for Security and affirms our status of leading on skills issues within the security sector. Skills for Security's aims are always to reflect the needs of employers within the sector and this is one key area, where Skills for Security can ensure that the industry continues to develop its professionalism and has a cohesive sector-wide approach to skills development.'
Lord Stevens of Kirkwhelpington QPM DL, Chair of Skills for Security commented 'This is an important step forward in enabling Skills for Security to continue supporting the skills needs of the private security industry and the close working relationship with the Police Service, in particular as we plan and prepare for a safe and secure Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012.'
