SSAIB were delighted to host the first meeting between the Fire Emergency and Security Systems Employers Group (FESS) and the Northern Ireland Fire and Security Employers Federation (NIFSEF) earlier this month – as it allowed an opportunity for an exchange of information between both groups.
SSAIB training manager Trevor Jenks revealed that the pioneering meeting – which took place on Monday February 10 at SSAIB’s headquarters in Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear – was “essential” to breaking down the current geographical barriers of the UK’s security apprenticeship market.
Trevor stated: “The SSAIB is thrilled to have facilitated this opportunity for both the representative groups to meet - for the first time - to discuss the work they are doing in developing apprenticeships and a competency-based engineer standard within their region of the UK.
“It is essential that this work results in a single common competency-based engineer Standard within the UK, despite regional differences in the funding and local qualification structures - allowing recognised engineers to work anywhere within the UK.”
FESS vice-chairman Kevin Faulkner was also full of positives following the initial meeting between the two groups, as he added: “It was very useful talking to Ian from NIFSEF and good to hear that there is a lot of common interests shared in raising the standards of competency within the fire and security systems sector.
“I look forward to having further meetings to help create a skills strategy for the UK within our sector.”
Meanwhile, Ian Fiddis, the NIFSEF chairman, was delighted to see that some “common ground” had been found regarding the “mutual recognition of apprentices in the UK” and revealed that he hopes that this meeting is the first of many further discussions in future.
Ian said: “While the apprentice programmes in the four nations are all very different, it was good to be able to meet and discuss the areas of common ground - in order to establish the mutual recognition of apprentices throughout the UK. It was also good to meet both Kevin and Richard and I will look forward to further meetings in the future.”
All parties agreed that the meeting had been constructive - due to building closer connections and understanding between both groups and the work they are developing – and plans are already in place for another meeting at SSAIB headquarters in the near future.