The Final Word
A Personal View
expressed by Professor Nara Srinivasan
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“ we will have a workforce in 2020 that will be
manned by lowly skilled, poorly paid workers
W
hen we look at the aviation
security ‘industry’ and the
who will be working in aviation security as ‘last
‘professionals’ involved in it,
we can see many changes since 2001.
resort’ jobs”
The industry is struggling to become
recognised as being ‘professional’ even to work in the industry at differing levels, ‘Maturity’ we can achieve in the short-term,
with the strong support of agencies such having more industry standards that relate but becoming a ‘profession’ is something
as ICAO and IATA. Staff working in to these qualifications and increasing staff that is a distant goal. ‘Professionalising’ the
the industry are working extra hard to qualifications at the lower levels of staffing industry has to be undertaken by senior staff
update themselves with the latest legal (eg for screeners and security officers). and governments have to play an important
and technological developments. The best comparison is with recently ‘pro- role in ensuring that aviation security organi-
If we were to stop and take a look at fessionalised’ industries such as nursing. sations become professional. If we do not
where we are heading and where we should In just less than 10 years, the nursing act very quickly to work jointly towards this,
be heading as a ‘professional industry’, we profession has ‘matured’; today you need we will have a workforce in 2020 that will be
may come to realise that nothing much has to be professionally qualified before getting manned by lowly skilled, poorly paid workers
changed since the early 80’s. a nursing job at any level in most countries. who will be working in aviation security as
As an industry, we have the additional Qualifications and standards are monitored ‘last resort’ jobs. Security managers may be
burden of dealing with high level issues by bodies external to organisations such better qualified by 2020 but the all important
and problems created through increasing as the Nursing Boards and staff have to security officer who works at security gates



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regulations and requirements imposed on learn to become professional nurses. The and screening points may be doing this job

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the industry by regulators, airports, inter- standards and qualifications are usually as it is the only one he is able to secure.
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national organisations and even our own portable from one country or jurisdiction This is already happening in some countries
employers in some instances. This ‘burden’ to another. To become a member of senior in 2006. We need to focus on having a
unfortunately is here to stay and I can only level nursing staff, such as a manager, you skilled and professionalised workforce at
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see this growing in the coming years. Are need additional higher level qualifications all ranks and not just at management levels.
we really improving efficiency and increas- that must be recognised by the profession Compare this with the ‘terrorism industry’
ing security standards by complying with and the employing bodies. where the training camps are getting more /,"1*1/�
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these new regulations and requirements? Will our (aviation security) industry ever sophisticated and their budgets healthier.
This is a question that is highly debatable reach this level of sophistication? Not in Staff morale in security organisations may
and fortunately is currently being actively the near future as we are still dominated by be plummeting but there is no evidence that
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discussed by many inside and outside the highly experienced industry professionals the people we are at ‘war’ against have a
industry. who strongly believe that experience is more plummeting morale!
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Are we really heading towards becoming important that educational qualifications for
a more professional and mature industry? staff working at lower levels of security. Professor Nara Srinivasan is the Professor of
In my opinion we are doing a lot to try These professionals are also guided by Security and Risk at Edith Cowan University

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and become professional but pressing small general and training budgets that (ECU), Western Australia and also the Dean
external factors such as staff management mean that higher pay and increased training of Transguard Education Academy based in
and increasing regulatory pressures, whilst (and education) is not an option as bottom Dubai. He works closely with aviation secu-
assisting in a ‘big picture’ sense, is really lines still dictate the industry. There are of rity personnel around the globe to develop
proving to be a hindrance to making the course some exceptions to this and we all training and educational programmes in
industry more professional. know of aviation security organisations and this area and conducts research in aviation
What does becoming professional really airlines that invest heavily in staff training security threats and incidents. Transguard
mean? As an industry some factors that (and education) and pay staff premium and ECU offer several internationally recog-
would make us seem as a ‘profession’ would salaries at all levels. But these are rare nised qualifications in aviation security and
be streamlining of qualifications required exceptions. security.
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40
www�asi-mag�com April 2006 Aviationsecurityinternational
0407 asi v12n2 v1.indd 40 6/4/06 9:13:10 pm
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