Not surprising today is the increasing awareness for continuing education in just about every service related industry where the distributor, service provider, and their field technicians are held accountable for specific aspects of a door assembly, access control system, life safety, or a specialized product from a manufacturer.
Many states have, or are adopting, certifications for locksmiths, alarm contractors, door hardware service technicians, and low voltage contractors, to name just a few. Not having the documentation to confirm proper certification could result in sizable fines.
Why Continuing Education
The title of this article; Educate or Tolerate could be associated with the expenses of obtaining the required certification and possible fines, or it could be associated with the cost an un-trained service technician who mistakenly violated a door assemblies fire or life safety requirement, or even mistakenly powering up an electromechanical piece of hardware which will require replacing. Whatever the case, continuing education is a must at all cost.
Anyone maintaining an existing certification, or seeking a certification in a specific field, is constantly looking for education opportunities that support their requirements. Unfortunately, there is not just one accreditation that encompasses all the aspects of a physical or intelligent security systems; therefore, a field service technician could end up with many different types of certifications. Keeping up with them all could be an overwhelming task, one that could lead to skipping or failing to renew it. Continuing education providers, like Elite-CEU are required to make transcripts readily available to all students for a certain period of time. These transcripts provide information on all previous courses taken, as well as, suggested courses within each sector. Without a nationally recognized and accredited provider, like Elite-CEU, keeping current can be very laborious.
Who To Train
One aspect of continuing education that should not be overlooked is the training of the building owner’s facilities personnel and the people that are asked to comply with the designated objective of the door’s function and operation. All too often, violations occur where the door is to be constantly monitored, alarmed, or kept closed, but instead, a broomstick is stuck in the hinge jamb keeping the door from properly closing. Doors are a deterrent to so many people, and the functionality of said doors most likely interfere with daily activities. This is where an orientation to new hires, along with reviews of safety and security plans for the building and its property, must be an ongoing effort. Most people today who are in a public or private building, including employees, appreciate heightened security measures – they just need to be made aware of the efforts and procedures that have been put in place.
As an added value, security vendors could offer clients on-going training material that explains the security systems functions and encourages reporting of violations.
I’m sure that we can all agree that learning occurs every day. It may come as a lesson learned during a service call, or an online continuing education course. However, no matter the delivery method, continued education is the key to success and should embraced and made part of the work day, week, month and year!