Investment
A small number of the partners invest in the Centre, enabling much of its work to take place. This investment has supported project development, research, travel, the dissemination of good practice and the development of a series of crowd management and security conferences. Rock Steady, Show and Event, Eventsec and Showsec, have all invested in a range of these activities. Mojo Barriers have invested through donating equipment and others including YOUROPE have contributed indirectly through fees for programmes and examinations. Without this type of investment the Centre would not be able to continue with its work in the crowd management and security industries.
Conferences
The Centre for Crowd Management and Security Studies runs a series of conferences and seminars in conjunction with the United Kingdom Crowd Management Association (UKCMA), YOUROPE, the European Festival Promoters Group and the European Event Safety Focus Group (EESFG). These conferences have taken place in Noorderslag in Groningen, Popkomm in Berlin and Missenden Abbey in the UK. As well as this, seminars have been held for the Australian Government in Sydney, at Roskilde in Denmark and in connection with other smaller events across Europe, where networking opportunities have been made available. Many of our companies have supported these events.
Funding Bids
The Centre has made a number of bids for European funding and has obtained contracts for a range of other activities. In conjunction with the International Live Music Conference Safety Focus Group (ILMCSFG) and the European Health and Safety Association (OSHA), the Centre was successful in gaining funding to create a web based risk assessment tool to aid workers at events. Recently, the Centre has been consulted over a number of major international projects, including a training and education package for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
Publications
Many of the Centre’s reports and research projects have been published in the form of books, which are used throughout the world as reference materials for crowd management and security courses. They are also used by companies to support their in-house training programmes.
| | Foundation Degrees
The Centre was created alongside the development of a Foundation Degree in Crowd Management. This programme was initiated to enable companies to help to create, with the University, a qualification that promoted a defined career pathway in an employment sector notorious for its poor public image and its high turnover of staff. The outcome of the FD development was to contribute to the extension of this career pathway from level one right through to level eight on the National Qualifications Framework. The increased possibilities of lifelong learning have helped companies to retain their staff base.
Since the success of the first FD in this area two more have come on stream: the Foundation Degree in Protective Security (for those working in the area of close protection) and the Foundation Degree in Security Systems Management. These were both developed in association with a range of industry partners, in the case of the latter, Tavcom. The programme gives those with pre-existing qualifications from Edexcel or City & Guilds the opportunity for admission with advanced standing.
Government Qualifications and Associated Courses
In the area of Protective Security, the Centre provides examinations for the SIA licence qualifications. The training for this licence is delivered by nine accredited training providers. Buckinghamshire New University is one of only three awarding bodies approved by the SIA in this area. To add to this programme, other courses are being developed for delivery by training providers; these include security consultancy and private investigation.
Widening Participation and Diversity
As a result of the good reputation and high quality of the FD programmes, a great deal of the Centre’s work takes place overseas, and many of the students on its programmes come from abroad. These currently include students from Australia, Africa, Holland and Dubai, and others who work for long periods in Afghanistan and Iraq. As well as the developing international profile of the students, participants in the Centre’s programmes range from stewards and supervisors to Managing Directors of companies. These participants come from a range of professions including Local Government, private security companies, the music and sports industries, the military and the police.
Flexibility
One of the key aspects of the Centre’s work with industrial partners is the ability to be flexible, in pursuit of the quest to make events and people safer. All partners and associated companies buy into this ethos; consequently, solutions can be found to any issue relating to the programmes, training, education or new course development. |
