Locks and Security News: your weekly locks and security industry newsletter
17th April 2024 Issue no. 701

Your industry news - first

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Training Course in understanding the SIA Approved Contractor Scheme

The International Professional Security Association (IPSA) has put together training for people who want to understand the inspection requirements of the SIA Approved Contractor Scheme (ACS). This follows on from reports that consultants have been approaching companies offering to assist with ensuring that they meet the requirements, but the company has subsequently failed the inspection.

A trial course was run by IPSA in March and, although it was initially marketed to individuals providing consultancy services, it was also taken up by some guarding companies wishing to have the experience in-house. Following on from this successful first run of the course, three further dates have been arranged across the country to take place next month. These are:

6th July - Wembley, London
13th July - North Shields, Tyneside
19th July - Oldham, Greater Manchester

The course provides a detailed step by step approach, for meeting and interpreting the specification for Approved Contractor Scheme (ACS) accreditation, as laid down by the Security Industry Authority. The course is led by two highly experienced ACS assessors, so is based on the actual methods practised by the assessment bodies.

Following the first course, the Operations Director of an existing ACS company said "The course gave a sound steer as to the requirements needed when completing the workbook. It also highlighted areas that may need addressing within a company structure to attain a creditable score."

Another delegate discussing the course said "I attended a training workshop run by IPSA to support our consultancy business in delivering into one of our clients the SIA Approved Contractors Scheme. To achieve the accreditation is very important to our clients and I was fortunate to be able to secure a place on the course to allow me to have a more in depth understanding of the process. I was hoping that following the course I would have learnt a little more about the scheme and how I could enhance the process needed to gain the accreditation, but what I didn't expect was to be given such an in-depth viewpoint of the whole process. The course content was excellent, the trainers were experienced and extremely knowledgeable and the entire course has given us the confidence that, if we follow the principal steps laid out from the literature supplied and the process taught on the day, we can now deliver into our client a successful award of the accreditation."

Justin Bentley, Chief Executive at IPSA, commented "We are keen to support measures which raise standards in the security industry. At the same time we are aware that every penny counts and wish to ensure that companies do not waste money on ineffective advice. We are able to provide quality guidance direct from the practitioners and consider this course to be extremely good value."

Interested persons can find out more information from the IPSA website: www.ipsa.org.uk training

International Professional Security Association
E-mail: [email protected]

Telephone : +44 (0)20 8832 7417
Facsimile : +44 (0)20 8832 7418

9th June 2010