Certis employees will be upskilled and multi-skilled as part of a new Company Training Committee (CTC) set up by the Union of Security Employees and Certis. In a Memorandum of Understanding witnessed by National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) Secretary-General Ng Chee Meng today, Certis has committed to work with USE to offer alternative career paths for workers to continue their careers within the company, and increase the capabilities and productivity of its current workforce.
Today’s economy is rapidly changing and Certis has transformed, progressing beyond physical security services by offering an integrated approach to the market called Security+. Security+ combines advanced security, facilities management, and guest services, seamlessly integrated into a single holistic service and underpinned by technology. As Certis and its employees create new value for customers by delivering Security+, Certis has pledged to continue supporting its employees so that they are able to embrace the skills of the future as digital workers.
In addition to training workers on technology aspects, they will also be equipped with necessary technical and adaptive skills to optimise their newfound skills. This includes honing workers’ change management and business process reorganisation capabilities as they operate in integrated man-machine workplaces in line with industry transformation.
The CTC will kick off with a site of 50 security officers (SOs) who are deployed in a manpower-centric manner today, and will be trained to take on multiple roles at a Security+ project that Certis will take over next month. The intention is to adopt an outcome-based deployment, comprising operations technology integration to achieve higher security outcomes and better productivity. This will then be scaled up to other projects that follow.
At present, the project relies heavily on security manpower to secure the site as SOs are only trained to conduct standard security checks. By April 2020, the kick-off batch of 50 SOs will be:
a. Multi-skilled in basic Facilities Management skills such as electrical and plumbing to identify and rectify faults to reduce the need for a separate group of on-site technicians
b. Upskilled to conduct centralised off-site monitoring at Certis’ Integrated Operations Centre
Certis Group Chief Executive Officer Paul Chong said, “Certis has undergone a three-year digital transformation journey from providing physical guarding services to becoming an advanced integrated security services partner today. We are committed to equipping our people with the skills to stay relevant in a rapidly changing business environment, including harnessing technology to better serve our customers. We are pleased to be the first in the security sector to set up a CTC, and look forward to partnering USE and our people to further develop their skillsets so that they can continue to enjoy fulfilling careers with us.”
USE Executive Secretary Steve Tan said, “The private security industry urgently needs to transform the way it operates. Buyers of security services need to understand that the shortfall of officers will not go away, and they need to work with their security agencies to assess their security needs, deploy the right technology to harden the site, and employ the right officers to leverage this technology for optimal results. The improved security outcomes and better productivity will justify the transitional difficulties. USE is happy to see this ambition at the pilot site and the others who have trusted and embraced Certis’ philosophy thus far.”
Certis and USE will work together to develop a framework to share productivity gains from the CTC’s efforts with employees.
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