<span id="lblNoFrames"><h1>Skills insight Jul 09</h1><br/>www.skillsforsecurity.org.uk Summer 2009 skills insight 09 and individual learners, perhaps, with much more tailored programmes based on groups of QCF units, in enabling learners to achieve and progress by breaking down qualifications into smaller steps and sizes and in being able to help employers to understand achievement more easily. Employers will be able to see at a glance the full achievement of a prospective employee (via the LR), which will be aided by a common language across all qualifications. They will have greater opportunities to have quality in-house training recognised within a national framework, as well as making training options and pathways much clearer for their employees and their business. So what will the landscape of qualifications in Security look like? By the end of 2010, when the existing NQF is ‘switched off’ for new registrations, we will have: n Revised licence to practise qualifications which will be made up of core and optional units, with specified pathways of options for each branch of licensable activity. Trainees moving from one specialism to another will be able to ‘top up’ with specialist units rather than re-doing whole qualifications n New qualifications based on NOS – some may continue to be assessed in the workplace as competence-based (NVQ-type) awards, others may contain a mixture of learning and assessment methods n New apprenticeship packages for Security Practitioners and Security and Emergency Alarms systems (at both level 2 and level 3), with new qualifications at level 2 for Systems and at level 3 for Security Guarding (Advanced Security Operations) n Smaller, ‘bite-size’ unit based qualifications for continuous professional development (CPD) and for volunteers (think of the Olympics!). Change is always challenging and not a little frightening, even for those who relish it, and we are embarking on a period of significant change for training in this sector. However, some things will always remain as certainties – in whatever guise the future may turn them out. These are the immutables: n There will always be a need for skilled people in the security industry n This need will increase and the level of skill expected will rise accordingly n Training and qualifications will be the best way to ensure that these demands are met n Training and qualifications will always be valuable and worth investment n City & Guilds, having been here for the past 130 (ish) years, will always be here to support and promote good practise in training and qualifications and to provide the best solutions for industry. n To find out more and to download your copy of the Introduction to the QCF please visit: www.cityandguilds.com/qcf If you would like to contact me to discuss any of the above, or to talk about qualifications in the security sector please email me at: cath.ellis@cityandguilds.com I look forward to hearing from you and to the challenging times ahead. After all, ‘interesting times’ may be a curse, but variety is the Chinese Five Spice of life! Cathy Ellis... is the Senior Manager for the Justice & Security team within the wider Community & Society sector at City & Guilds. She joined City & Guilds in 1993 to work on assessment for the Electrical Engineering Sector. She then worked for some time with the London & South East Regional Office as a Customer Relationship Manager, before joining Community & Society (then known as Affinity) as a Product Manager in 2000. The Justice & Security team was formed in 2005 to develop and maintain qualifications across the whole of the public justice and private security sectors, including parking control. Prior to working for City & Guilds, Cathy qualified as a teacher of English and Drama at the Institute of Education and, after a spell of teaching at a South London secondary school, worked as an office and administration manager at Sotheby’s (but never got to appear in the Antiques Roadshow). When not at work or being ‘mum’ to two boys (17 and 10), Cathy enjoys reading, films and being in the garden. However, some things will always remain as certainties – in whatever guise the future may turn them out... these are the immutables.</span>