NCJ Number
124683
Journal
Security Management Volume: 34 Issue: 6 Dated: (June 1990) Pages: 62-67,69
Date Published
1990
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This article explores the perspectives on the Security Management Certificate Program at the University of Alberta (Canada) expressed by a student, his employer, and a professor in the program. The program was established jointly by the University and by the American Society for Industrial Security (ASIS).
Abstract
The student believes that the program is excellent training for understanding how new security systems work, what they can do, and which are most efficient. The coursework is interesting and challenging with many benefits including increased security and general management knowledge, many contacts in the security industry, job satisfaction and promotion, and increased confidence and self-esteem. The employer sees the program as a way for security personnel to learn about changes occurring in the industry, all of which actually reflect changes in society as a whole. Faced with increasing complexities and automation, the industry must professionalize itself. Additional formal security training induces the security group to contribute to corporate initiatives, objectives, and profitability. The Security Management Certificate Program prepares its students to fill multiple corporate roles at a time when many organizations are downsizing and reorganizing. Finally, trained security personnel are better able to compete in the job market. According to the program professor, certification is one way to obtain professional development, which is demanded by an urban, specialized society. ASIS developed the program through several steps: informal dialogue and networking, exchange of educational and accreditation information, face-to-face meetings, core curriculum development, flexibility, and evaluation criteria.