Industry insights on skills needs
According to the Property Services IRC’s 2019 Skills Forecast, the top generic skills for the Property Services industry as a whole, and therefore for the Security and Investigation sector are, in addition to knowledge specific to the industry area:
- Managerial / Leadership
- Language, Literacy and Numeracy (LLN) (Foundation skills)
- Customer service / Marketing
- Financial
- Technology.
According to job vacancy data, the top generic skills in demand in the Security and Investigation sector are:
- Communication skills
- Planning
- Research
- Detail orientated
- Building effective relationships.
Additionally, the job vacancy data identifies the following occupations as most in-demand for this sector: Security Officer, Computer Network and Systems Engineer, ICT Security Specialist, Sales and Marketing Manager, and Locksmith. The top employers for the sector include MSS Security, Australian Government, Assetlink, Airbus Group, Perspecta and Doordash.
The Property Services 2020 Skills Forecast predicts the Security and Investigation sector will be impacted by technology changes and the challenges of integrating security technologies within a digital environment. This was supported by the 2019 Skills Forecast which identified consumer demand and the adoption of new technologies as key drivers for change in this sector. Security services business rely on the Internet of Things (IoT) and smart technologies to provide home security solutions and home energy management services. Increasing urbanisation is also expected to increase the need for home security systems and security services.
The Property Services IRC’s Skills Forecast 2017 identified impacts of technological advancements on the Security and Investigation labour force. Given the use of tools such as computerised central alarm systems and security camera monitoring systems are now widespread, this reduces the need for labour in this sector, and increases the need for workers who can operate these technologies.
Related to this is the cyber security project recently completed (led by PwC’s Skills for Australia) which was identified as relevant in the Property Services IRC’s 2018 Skills Forecast. This project centres around the development of vocational training in cyber security skills that can be transferable across multiple industries. This has a bearing on the security services offered by this sector, with a need to understand how emerging cyber security concerns relate to the Property Services industry.
Other areas of skills need in this sector relate to a lack of language, literacy and numeracy, and customer service skills among the high numbers of recent migrants and underqualified workers present in the sector. According to the Property Services IRC’s 2018 Skills Forecast, this points to a role for vocational education and training in ensuring entry level workers in Security and Investigation are equipped with these skills.
There are also issues around inconsistent licensing in this sector. While those operating in Security and Investigation often require licensing, differences between the various state and territory requirements may result in workers crossing borders in order to obtain their licence in a state or territory with fewer requirements.
The Training in security programs in Australia report by the Australian Skills Quality Authority identifies the presence of very short courses in this sector as threatening training and skills quality, as graduates of these courses often do not gain all the necessary skills and competencies. It also highlights the inconsistent licensing requirements mentioned above, underscoring the importance of alignment between qualifications and licensing requirements.
The Australian Parliamentary Joint Committee on Law Enforcement recently released its report on the potential development and introduction of an Australian Standard in relation to the training and use of privately contracted security and detection dogs. Currently, there is no agreed national standard against which private security canine detection service providers are held. The committee agreed that the introduction of a national standard for privately operated canine detection and security services could facilitate a number of improvements, including the performance and operation of security detection canine teams and the quality of clearances provided.
