Following its recent success at the 2012 Security Excellence Awards, where it won the Inspiration in HR Award, Corps Security has further demonstrated its commitment to excellence and professionalism within its industry by introducing a new scheme that will provide valuable information to its front line officers. ‘Securing Excellence’ is an innovative e-learning programme that uses on-demand video based modules to bring employees fully up-to-date on a whole host of relevant topics.
The brainchild of Corps Security’s HR department and developed in conjunction with subject matter experts from across the organisation, Securing Excellence will help the company’s highly valued team members to enhance their knowledge and skills, and improve their day-to-day working lives.
Commenting on the need for a programme of this nature, Michael Clark, Corps Security’s senior HR business partner, explains, ‘Since it first came into force in 2004 the Security Industry Authority (SIA) licensing system has done a great deal to regulate who can and, just as importantly, who can’t, become security operatives. While the training that individuals have to go through to become licensed is useful, there’s no requirement for on-going knowledge development. This means that someone who became licensed seven years ago could well be out of touch with contemporary thinking on certain subjects.’
Corps Security recognised the need to address this issue but due to the geographical diversity of its employees, with officers based in all areas of the UK, providing centralised classroom based training proved logistically and financially prohibitive.
Clark and his team therefore decided to produce an initial series of eight video based e-learning modules that can be accessed by Corps Security employees via the company’s secure online portal. With over 30 more modules planned to be produced over the next 18 months, each video is 20-30 minutes in duration and can be viewed on-demand anywhere with an Internet connection – even on a smartphone. The subjects covered include a history of the company, achieving good customer service, health and safety, fire safety awareness and safe manual handling.
Like its pioneering Securing Success programme that is designed for Corps Security’s operational and support function management personnel, Securing Excellence has taken the innovative approach of being developed and delivered using internal resources. Experts from the company have been involved in the production of each module, giving employees the chance to strengthen relationships with them whilst benefiting from their expertise.
Since launching the Securing Excellence programme, the HR team at Corps Security has been delighted with the response it has been given. Michael Clark concludes, ‘Taking part in Securing Excellence is not mandatory, however, we have been pleased to find that the vast majority of those within the company that it is intended to benefit have chosen to embark on the programme. There is clearly a desire amongst our front line officers for the latest information and providing it in this easy to access online format is proving highly beneficial for them and the company as a whole.’