Apprentice security installers competed in the Engineers of Tomorrow competition (the Apprentice Skills Challenge), which was held in May at Birmingham’s NEC during IFSEC 2011.
Working diligently on Stand 120 in Hall 5, competition participants were tasked with demonstrating critical assessment and installation skills across the four days of the world’s premier security exhibition.
Supported by Skills for Security and run in association with CSL DualCom, the Security Systems and Alarms Inspection Board (SSAIB) and the National Security Inspectorate (NSI), the Engineers of Tomorrow competition required the apprentices involved to complete a series of designated tasks under timed conditions.
TI Security apprentice Adam receiving his Skills for Security award at the Park Lane Hilton.
The process involved candidates assessing a previously installed intruder alarm system, identifying faults which had been deliberately induced within that system, re-commissioning the system (in line with current EN standards) and then adding in additional security and safety measures.
Each pair of apprentices had a set time of 90 minutes to complete the practical task or, alternatively, reach the furthest stage they could.
At the end of the designated time period, the apprentices’ efforts were then judged by representatives from the security inspectorates and the training organisation present who then allocated points against the various disciplines (all the while taking into full account the different skills sets required).
