Banham Academy partners with NSI to tackle the industry’s gender gap with Apprenticeship Training Programme for Women

Banham Academy, a specialist technical training provider for the Level 3 Fire, Emergency and Security Systems (FESS) Apprenticeship and NSI (National Security Inspectorate), the UK’s premier UKAS Accredited certification body for the security and fire sector, have joined forces to offer an introductory 5-day Fire and Security Systems Technician Training Programme exclusively for potential women apprentices.

Taking place from 13^th-17^th June 2022 at the Banham Academy in Earlsfield, South West London, this new free-to-attend training programme will provide women aged 16 and over with a valuable insight into the requirements of the FESS Apprenticeship standard.

Attendees will gain a basic understanding of the functions of Fire, CCTV, Intruder Alarms and Access Control systems and the role of the systems technician. By the end of the course, attendees will have learnt how to take-over a system, diagnose and rectify faults.

With women significantly under-represented within the security and fire sector, Banham Academy and NSI are seeking to help bridge the industry’s gender gap by offering the training programme as a means of attracting new talent.

An added benefit to those who complete the course and are motivated by the experience to embark upon a career as a systems technician, is the opportunity to meet with a number of security and fire safety companies on the final day of the programme. These employers will be in attendance looking to diversify their workforces with skilled female technicians, providing trainees with direct opportunities for apprenticeships.

Kevin Faulkner, Head of the Banham Academy says: “Banham Academy and NSI are committed to start to address the gender gap in our industry and we are delighted to officially launch this women’s-focused programme at our training centre. We have successfully trained several young women through our Academy, so we know there is an appetite, but we all have a duty to ensure that such training programmes are easily accessible to all genders. I, along with everyone at Banham, are really excited to see what raw talent is nurtured through this programme and to see these skilled women embark on rewarding careers within the sector.”

Richard Jenkins, NSI Chief Executive adds: “We are delighted to be launching this introductory training programme with Banham Academy to help drive change and encourage more women into our sector. As a founding stakeholder of the well-respected ‘Engineers of Tomorrow’ competition, NSI has made a longstanding commitment to apprenticeships and is keen to further build on this success and help bridge the gender gap.

“There are no barriers to women becoming security or fire systems technicians, but changing perceptions is often the hardest thing. We’re confident those women who participate in this new training programme will be well-placed to take advantage of the many and varied opportunities available to them and very much hope they will be motivated to apply their skills and become an apprentice within our sector.”

No experience is necessary and women can register their interest to attend Banham Academy and NSI’s free apprenticeship training programme here.

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