SITO IS CONTINUALLY REFINING ITS COURSES so that they offer managers and security officers the very best possible standard of training. That will be more apparent than ever before in 2001, as we reach the milestone of ten years’ service to the security industry.
A host of training courses are on offer this year. Basic job training in both static and patrol guarding is the ‘base’ two-day course, complying with the recommended training syllabus outlined in BS 7499. Over five separate modules delegates are able to learn about the security service (the role and responsibilities of the security officer), safety issues and security functions (such as patrolling and searching).
There’s also a distance learning module aimed at the professional security officer. Building on the tenets of the basic course, it’s aimed at officers currently working towards S/NVQ Level 2 in security, safety and loss prevention. Communication skills and how to deal with emergencies are just two of the topics covered. An advanced course branches out still further into areas such as electronic security, arrest procedures and contingency planning For managers, the S/NVQ Level 3 course is geared to supervisors and ‘first line’ management. Four mandatory units (managing information for action and monitoring risk procedures among them) have to be passed, along with three optional units. The latter encompass such areas as witness and suspect information gathering and carrying out a security survey. Candidates need to present a portfolio of verifiable evidence of their competence, taken from everyday activities, to be supported by work-based observation.
A distance learning programme dedicated to retail guarding should prove useful, given that personnel employed in the retail field need specialist, targeted training. Split into four units, the programme encompasses security reporting, access control, anger management, dealing with suspects and loss prevention.
SITO’s distance learning Cash-in-Transit course will provide the necessary underpinning structure to the SITO/City and Guilds exam Transporting Property Under Guard. Crews, uniform and equipment, vehicle checks and documentation all come into play here.
Back to the management side of the security equation, and a two-day course on CCTV control room supervision has been developed in conjunction with Broadband Security Training. It looks at how best practice techniques can enhance the management process for all concerned. Codes of practice, legislation and operator guidelines are all to the fore.
A varied array of courses and distance learning packages, then, all with one aim in mind – to provide organisations with suitable learning routes, allowing clear career progression in all sections of the security function.
