ESF Funded Scheme Receives Plaudits at Security Industry Training Awards

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A bold and innovative training programme, “Women in Security”, has received accolades at the Security Industry Training Award for its achievements in the sector.

The project, supported by European Social Funding (ESF) and co ““ financed through the Learning and Skills Council (LSC), is run by Kennedy Scott. It is designed to train, accredit and bring into the workforce unemployed women, with an emphasis on ethnic minorities, residentsof deprived wards and lone parents. The programme has only been running for six months, and has already proven a great success.

Kennedy Scott

The programme run by Kennedy Scott, which provides services for jobseekers, the government and companies in bringing people from welfare to work. This has proven to be a popular subject in the last few weeks with the Department for Work and Pension’s (DWP’s) recent Green Paper aiming to bring ever more people from worklessness to work.

The Kennedy Scott “Women in Security” programme is available to all women who are without employment, who live within the London Boroughs of Lambeth, Southwark, Wandsworth, Camden, Islington, Kensington & Chelsea, or Westminster, and who have the legal right to work in the UK. The project wants to attract women living in London who are considering returning to work, perhaps having spent time rearing children, caring for a relative or just simply being away from work for some reason.

The course is free to join and to attend, with the training, gaining the qualifications and getting the licence are similarly free (due to funding through ESF). Learners may also be eligible to qualify for assistance with childcare should it be required.

Meeting the Challenges

The project seems to be ideally suited to the objectives of the government regarding encouraging people to move back to work, widening access and participation in training and supporting the development of a fully skilled workforce to meet the skills demands of potential employers. The National Liaison Manager for the sector skills body Skills for Security, Bob Doyle, welcomed the project and praised those taking part.

“This is a complex time for the security industry as new laws are coming into effect that will require all security staff to be licensed,” he said. “To qualify for a license you need to undertake the appropriate training, be able to prove your identity and pass criminal records check. Some existing staff won”t meet these criteria and will leave the industry. This means there will be a demand for new staff, particularly for those with the training which the “Women in Security” programme provides. I would like to congratulate all those involved in the project for receiving this award.”

Jethro Marsh

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