We talk to Paul Keeling, Chief Executive of Senate Security Training and Mick Baines of BAE Systems – Air Systems (a division of defence and aerospace contractor BAE Systems) to learn more about how the UK’s only BTEC for the defence industry security officer was developed and the impact it has had at BAE SYSTEMS’ sites.

There’s no doubt that security in a defence environment represents its own unique challenges; perimeter fences that stretch for miles, rural locations surrounded by acres of open countryside and individual sites that are often the size of small towns, employing 10,000 people or more. Quite simply, security officers working in defence have to have different skills from those employed by other industries and, as a result, require different training - something recognised by BAE SYSTEMS – Air Systems and its security training provider Senate Security Training.
 
With its own set of security challenges – BAE Systems’ Warton site for example is also an active airfield – BAE Systems recognised that ‘the normal training’ programme simply didn’t meet its operational requirements and the needs of its security team.

“BAE Systems was using the NVQ in Security Safety and Loss Prevention,” explains Paul Keeling of Senate Security Training, “but, quickly recognised that the course was too generic for its needs and focussed on a reactive, instead of the proactive approach required at its sites. That’s when they asked us to help develop a tailored, more comprehensive, defence specific qualification."

The defence industry demands a much higher specification of skills and competencies than is the norm.