Galway Technical Institute (GTI) is certainly on the ball with the introduction of two security-related Post Leaving Cert courses this September: security studies and security systems technology. Last month the Private Security Services Bill 2000 to regulate the private security industry was published by the Minister for Justice. It is to establish a private security authority, which will issue licences for the provision of security services to include door supervisors (bouncers), suppliers and installers of security equipment, private investigators, private security employers, security consultants, security guards, providers of armoured car services, locksmiths, and suppliers and installers of safes. According to Galway Central Technical Institute marketing manager Geraldine Gibbons, anyone working in security is going to find they will need a qualification. The two new one-year courses are both recognised by the Security Institute of Ireland. According to Gibbons, there has been a good deal of interest so far in both courses, but particularly in the security studies area. Gibbons believes there will be "a mix of old and young" people on the course. There are 30 places on each course and Gibbons believes they are likely to attract recent Leaving Cert graduates, LCA and LCVP students and more mature applicants. She also says there is a demand for more women in the industry. Students taking the security studies course will do subjects such as security systems and procedures; safety, health and welfare at work; legal studies; business administration; marketing practice; computer applications; information technology skills; and communications. The security systems technology course will cover areas such as electronics; cable and pre-installation techniques; CCTV and lighting; intruder alarm and access control; security industry awareness; computer applications; security systems and procedures; and communications. Galway Central Technical Institute principal Peter Keady explains the differences between the two courses. "The security technology would be practical, in as much as they are doing electronics and they would be producing and fitting alarm systems and cameras. The security studies would be more theoretical, although all our courses do computing as well. But it would be more the study of the security system in relation to security firms." However, he warns that students applying for the security systems technology "would want to be reasonable at maths or at least have done physics and have some interest in the technological area already". A science subject, preferably physics, and passed ordinary-level maths in the Leaving Cert are necessary. Students of both courses have 24 hours of lectures in addition to work experience.

Security education does not end at Galway Central Technical Institute; students can go on to do courses in Dublin Institute of Technology and Waterford Institute of Technology. The security studies links into the security management certificate in DIT, as does the security systems technology course. This also links into a number of Waterford Institute of Technology certificates: electronic engineering, mechanical engineering, production engineering, commercial computing, industrial computing, computer appliances and computing in multimedia applications development. Security systems technology students can also transfer over the two-year PLC electronic technician course, a similar course run by Galway Central Technical Institute. PLC students with their NCVA awards in security from Galway Central Technical Institute will find employment across the board in the security business, says Gibbons. "I'd envisage the majority would go on to work," she says, "but they would have links to the ITs."