Statement Of Attainment Electronic Security Installers Tafe's Sydney Institute
Sydney Morning Herald
Wednesday November 15, 2000
Phone 9217 3793
www.sit.nsw.edu.au
Accreditation: The course is accredited by TAFE NSW.
Where: Corner of Harris and Thomas streets, Ultimo.
Duration: The statement of attainment in electronic security installation is completed part-time over six months by attending one night a week for 18 weeks. There is the potential for the course to be delivered in a three-week block.
Cost: The TAFE administration fee of $105 applies. The TAFE administration fee is not the security licence fee - this is paid later to the Security Industry Registry (SIR).
When: Next intake is February 2001.
Prerequisites: There are no enforceable prerequisites for this course, but the acting senior head teacher of electronics, John Zervos, strongly recommends that students have basic electronics and/or electrical knowledge. Students applying for this course must successfully undergo a criminal record check which is conducted by SIR.
Books and equipment Students can expect to spend $30, in addition to the administration fee, for a workbook and resource materials.
Who is it for? This course is for people who want to learn how to install and maintain electronic security systems. During the course, students learn to install small domestic or commercial alarm systems, learn how to plan a security system and also learn where to place door sensors and how to use them. Under the 1997 Security Industry Act, an installer needs a licence to work alone, making this course popular for those who eventually want to be self-employed.
Registered trainees can proceed to the certificate II in electrotechnology (servicing) course, a part-time, one-year course. They will gain credits for two of the certificate's eight modules, reducing the one-year course to about nine months.
Success rate: Once finished, students apply for a licence from SIR, which is run by the NSW Police Service. They are then able to look for work installing and maintaining security systems, office and communications equipment.
Zervos says the course is popular for several reasons. "Most people are already working in the industry but haven't got the licence, and need it to formalise their qualifications. Because it's a short course, people can get skills very quickly and that's its great appeal."
More than 100 graduate from the course annually, but most use their qualification on a part-time basis only.
"It has been pretty stable for the past 10 years - every semester I think we have saturated the market but students keep coming," Zervos says.
"Security is one of those expanding branches of electronics."
He admits there has been criticism of the lack of practical experience gained during the course, which has left some students disenchanted when they do enter the workforce and find it a dirty job involving crawling under floors or in roof spaces.
"We do have an industry visit but otherwise we are light on practical [experience]. Most students gain their experience once they get into the industry, but we are looking towards making it more realistic."
What past students think
Andrew MacRae, 43, alarm technician, Imperial Security Systems, Kirrawee. Graduated this year.
"I was getting into alarm systems while I was doing telephone systems for Optus and Foxtel. I had my name down with some agencies and thought if I'm doing this work I should take up a course. Now that I have my security licence and have been checked out by the police, a customer doesn't have to sit with me in the building. Any villain can fit an alarm - but with your licence you command a certain amount of respect; they know you can be trusted.
"During the course we did a page on Imperial screens and that's the company I work for now. I'm not sure if it helped me get the job, but I knew what they were talking about during the interview. The teacher I had, Rod Rose, was very impressive. If you didn't know something he went through it again and again. I was doing alarm systems before the course but I didn't know the variety available and how you need so many different systems for different people. For example, for people with animals at home you need a pet immune sensor, things like that. It was quite a short course but I was very pleased with it."
What the employers think
Phillip Genelas, company director, Nycon Security Group, Matraville.
"The course gives a basic overview of the industry and a basic knowledge of the standards, but the graduates need on-the-job training and supervision for the first six to 12 months, just because of the complexity of the jobs that are going. Obviously there are some basic things they can handle. We have taken on a few, probably four or five students, and they've been pretty good. Most of them have done the theory and the programming, but the reality is they still have to get under a floor or in a roof space - that's the dirty side of the job that isn't always outlined.
"They should send them off to a workshop for one day a week [for practical experience]. It's a rewarding job with good prospects, and the field is booming because of increased crime and a lack of disciplinary action."
lewisclan@bigpond.com
© 2000 Sydney Morning Herald
