Light and shade in protection and security training

The introduction of two dual training occupations in the protection and safety services - protection and safety service staff and protection and safety specialist - clearly shows that a training culture has developed in the sector which previously did not exist. This is illustrated by a comprehensive investigation carried out by the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB) of the two and three-year training courses as well as by an overall high level of satisfaction with the two job descriptions. However, both training occupations are characterized by low success rates in the examinations and a high level of contract termination.

The issuing of the ordinance governing the protection and safety specialist training in 2002 marked the introduction of a three-year dual training occupation in the protection and safety sector for the first time. In 2008 this was updated and the two-year protection and safety service staff training occupation was newly created.

The BIBB evaluation shows that the training regulations have essentially proven successful: Training content is assessed as appropriate and what is learned is deemed to be necessary for working in the occupation. The extended final examination is assessed positively, however need for change was noted in the regulations covering conducting examinations and regarding examination pass rates.

Both training occupations were quick to be accepted by the sector. Over 1100 training contracts had been concluded in both occupations as early as 2008. However, the training company rate - 15.6 % in 2013 (compared to 20.7 % in the economy as a whole) and the training rate (1.9% compared to 5.4% in the economy as a whole) is still low compared to other sectors.

The number of new contacts in both occupations initially rose steadily up to 2012. At that time, the number of new contracts concluded for protection and safety service staff was 270, and in 2015 the figure was an additional 207 new contracts. The proportion of females was just under 25%. In the case of protection and safety specialists the number continued to grow, from 1008 new contracts in 2012 to 1140 in 2015. In this case, the proportion of female trainees is just under 20%. Overall, therefore, it is mainly the two-year training occupation which remained below the quantitative expectations set when it was launched. This may be due, if nothing else, to the large number of employees who enter the sector via a lateral career move, in most cases via other qualifications. It was not possible to determine sustained substitution effects, i.e. a reduction in training relationships in the three-year training occupation as a result of the introduction of the two-year service staff option.

Competition with other qualifications in the sector is large. The two training occupations are not just in competition with the advanced examinations for the certified protection and safety specialist of the Chamber of Industry and Commerce. Competition for both training occupations is also provided in the form of the instruction to be completed for working in the surveillance industry which is stipulated in the trading regulations and which has a relatively minimal time requirement of 40 to 80 hours, or the expert knowledge examination for the Chambers of Industry and Commerce.

In 2014, the success rates in the final examination were around 76% for safety specialists and at around 57% for service staff compared to around 90 % for all qualifications. The percentage of contract terminations was 50.3 % for safety specialists and 48.5 % for protection and safety service staff (national average is just under 25%). This is due to a variety of reasons according to the BIBB evaluation. Suspected reasons for this include inadequate quality of training, but also a comparatively higher proportion of final examination candidates who were external and who were retraining.

Background Information:
The training company rate describes the proportion of companies with trainees as compared to all companies with employees subject to social insurance contributions including the training companies. A distinction is not made here regarding whether the companies are authorised to provide training or not.
The training rate describes the proportion of trainees as compared to all employees subject to social insurance contributions including trainees.

The findings of the BIBB investigation are summarized in the Academic Research Discussion Papers (WDP) “Evaluation of vocational education and training in the protection and safety services - protection and safety service staff and protection and safety specialist”, Issue no. 173. The WDP is available to download from www.bibb.de/wdp.

Contact at BIBB:
Sara-Julia Blöchle
Herbert Tutschner

Specimen copy requested if printed.