SSAIB News

IFSEC International, the largest gathering of security professionals, has announced it will now take place from July 12-14, 2021 at ExCeL, London and will be run in line with the industry recognised and Government-approved AllSecure standard, to ensure attendee safety.

Informa Markets group director Chris Edwards stated: “The safety and wellbeing of our attendees and exhibitors is our foremost priority. That's why we've moved the date to summer 2021 and will be looking to operate under the highest possible level of health and safety standards, which Informa AllSecure enables us to do.”

AllSecure was piloted in September 2020 and approved by the UK Government on November 19, 2020 as a model for running large events safely. It involves several health and safety measures, including deep cleaning, social distancing on-site, staggered arrival times and PPE, such as face masks.

In addition, IFSEC International - for which SSAIB are the official installer partner -has also announced plans for a variety of online events, set to take place in June 2021.

Chris added: “While 2020 had its challenges for in-person events, IFSEC International was able to innovate and bring the industry together remotely via online platforms and we're looking to further build on that success in 2021.”

IFSEC International’s online experiences will provide opportunities for audiences to organise live video calls with exhibitors, browse solution providers and products – via an online marketplace – while some of the very latest in tech innovation, industry best practice and thought leadership will be showcased.

To register your interest and find out more, please visit https://www.ifsecglobal.com/event/en/visit/ifsec-international-announce-2021-plans.html.

Tavcom Training is launching the first in a series of virtual classroom training courses to its classroom training portfolio, starting with two fundamental courses: Intruder Alarm System Design BTEC Level 3 and CCTV System Design and Planning BTEC Level 3.

Delivered via Zoom through online interactive lectures and workshops - and guided by the same expert instructors as the classroom courses - learners will have the chance to gain an accredited certification in a live environment, without having to travel.

Andrew Saywell, business development manager for Tavcom Training stated: ‘We understand a lot of our learners come to us for the high standard or training we deliver here at Tavcom, and we wanted to find a way to provide that high standard of classroom learning to the many who can’t travel.

"Our new virtual classroom courses are a crucial solution to this. Delivered by and in partnership with our lead tutors, they are fully interactive and designed to provide professionals with the necessary skills required to carry out the key elements of their job role.

"The launch of our accredited virtual training courses is just one in a series of latest developments that we are implementing in order to increase the accessibility of Tavcom Training courses to learners globally. Now, more than ever, it is easier to gain a worldwide recognised qualification."

Not only will learners interact with the class and ask questions as they would in a classroom, but they can expect to receive all the typical benefits of traditional face-to-face training - including full tutor support, training resources and protected soft copies of the learning material distributed prior to course commencement.

Intruder Alarm System Design BTEC Level 3 is the first course in the portfolio to be delivered virtually. It is an essential course for technical specifiers, sales engineers and consultants who wish to work lawfully within the new legislative guidelines and to determine the risk assessment of each installation.

Learners on the course will be taught the skills required to carry out risk assessments and surveys in accordance with current British and European standards, in combination with design and planning exercises that will introduce all the necessary new grading requirements.

Intruder Alarm System Design is scheduled to take place virtually between February 15-17, 2021 and will cover the following core topics:

ECHO (Electronic Call Handling Operations) has announced that Mike Reddington, chief executive of the British Security Industry Association (BSIA), has been appointed to its board of directors with immediate effect.

Mike’s appointment comes after Dave Wilkinson stepped down in December to focus on key activities in his ongoing role of director of Technical Services at the BSIA. Dave was part of the duo - alongside Martin Harvey - who founded ECHO in August 2017, and cultivated the business concept from inception to the verge of full service delivery planned for early 2021.

Martin explained: “Mike, with over 25 years’ commercial experience in the security sector, strengthens the ECHO board with further business leadership expertise. His background, including time at leading blue chip organisations such as Honeywell and ADI - prior to joining the BSIA in January 2019 - will be invaluable as ECHO moves into full service delivery.”

Upon his appointment, Mike Reddington commented: “I look forward to working with the other board directors of ECHO in progressing the next phase of this project - as we move into the implementation of this service to end-users and the industry, realising the benefits of the improvements in confirmed alarm activation transfers to police authorities.”

Martin added: “We would also like to take this opportunity to recognise our colleague Dave Wilkinson, without whom the project might not have succeeded. His unwavering commitment and contribution over many years, as a founding member, in getting the ECHO project off the ground and bringing it to the point at which it is virtually launch-ready has been immense. The industry owes him a great debt.”

For more information on ECHO, visit www.echo.uk.net

The highly regarded IFSEC Engineers of Tomorrow competition is back for 2021, and registration is now live for the next generation of security and fire apprentices to showcase their skills at the highly competitive event!

Engineers of Tomorrow – for which SSAIB is a stakeholder – helps to raise the profile of engineering apprenticeships and the opportunities they represent within the sector. Taking place at IFSEC and FIREX International each year, winners of regional heats compete in a live installation challenge at the show.

In addition, the winners of the electronic security competition will proceed to the final of WorldSkills UK LIVE, the nation’s premier skills, apprenticeships and careers event.

Register here for the Electronic Security Engineers of Tomorrow competition
Register here for the Fire Engineers of Tomorrow competition

The competition, which encompasses two separate events – one for electronic security installers, and the other for installers of fire safety devices – aims to help tackle the growing engineering skills gap and attract and retain the next generation of security and fire systems installers. While the 2020 competition was unfortunately unable to go ahead, due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, 2019’s competition saw over 100 entrants take part, a number only set to increase as the competition continues to grow.

Dates to keep in mind for 2021 are currently as follows:

• Regional heats for both security and fire will run between February and April 2021
• Winners will then go on to compete at Engineers of Tomorrow, which is set to take place at IFSEC International in London, between 12-14 July
• Preparation boot camp in August 2021 for the security WorldSkills finalists
• WorldSkills UK Live will take place in November 2021
• The winners of the security and fire competitions will be announced at the Security and Fire Excellence Awards, taking place on November 23, 2021

The 2021 event will see a few changes to previous years, not least because of COVID restrictions, however, regional heats will still take place across all four UK nations, and the electronic security competition semi-finals, and fire installation competition finals, are planned to take place at IFSEC in London in July. The finalists for the security event will go to World Skills UK National Finals in Birmingham, due to take place between November 18-20.

This year, the regional heats will take the form of a knowledge-based assessment that will be completed online and invigilated by an employer or tutor. There will be two separate assessment for fire and security, with separate online links. Students who wish to compete in both competitions need to register for both competitions separately.

The heat timings are expected to be:

• Regionals (passives) – 90 minutes
• National Qualifier/Fire Final (EoT at IFSEC) – Six hours
• National Final (WorldSkills) – Two days

You can keep up-to-date with the Engineers of Tomorrow competiion via the EoT twitter account: @EoTIFSEC

As the official installer partner of both IFSEC International and FIREX International, SSAIB are delighted to see the return of IFSEC & FIREX Tech Talks for 2021.

IFSEC & FIREX Tech Talks is the digital initiative designed for security and fire safety professionals to discover new products and services and connect with potential suppliers.

Comprising a series of live or pre-recorded webinars, it gives viewers the opportunity to hear from leading suppliers about their latest developments and source new solutions for their fire safety and security strategies — all from the comfort of their own home or office.

• Register for IFSEC Tech Talks – taking place on Tuesday January 26.
• Register for FIREX Tech Talks – taking place on Tuesday February 23.

Vendors will each have a 15-minute product pitch to give viewers the essential details of their latest products, followed by a Q&A session moderated by professional broadcaster Jo Pickard. The intuitive webinar platform will also feature additional information, including pre-recorded videos, presentations and links to extra resources. There is even the ability to refer to this information after the event with a recording of each webinar.

IFSEC & FIREX Tech Talks attracted an exciting selection of some of the industries’ top suppliers in 2020, and there’s more to come in early 2021. Exhibitors are set to include HID Global, Prysm Software, Lorenz Technology, TrackTik, Touchless Biometric Systems, Baldwin Boxall, Etex Group, and more!

Viewers will also have an opportunity to explore each firm’s offering in-depth through the webinars and Q&A sessions.

IFSEC Tech Talks will take place on Tuesday January 26, while FIREX Tech Talks will take place on Tuesday February 23. The events are totally free to attend, making them an unmissable opportunity to hear from some of the leading names in security and fire safety and source solutions for your strategies.

You can watch all the previous Tech Talks from 2020 back on the Tech Talks home page, or the IFSEC Global YouTube channel.