The Fire Industry Association is evolving – and so is its training. Chief executive Ian Moore explains
The whole world moves forward and change propels us. 100 years ago, you wouldn’t be reading this blog on your phone or your laptop – it might just be a newspaper column or, even more likely, I’d just tell you my thoughts to your face.
But it isn’t just technology that changes – so do people. Think about yourself last year, five years ago, even 10 years ago… are you still 100% exactly the same? The fact is, the fire industry itself is changing. It is changing because of the needs of society and changes in technology and the attitudes and values of everyone involved.
The rise in Health and Safety being a subject – a whole sector in and of itself, in fact – has led to the UK leading the way in putting a huge emphasis on being accountable for others. And while other countries around the world may not hold this as a value, the vast majority do. Society is driven by legislative change, and by the need for high standards. People change. Attitudes change. And so do industries and the way they operate.
The fire industry is changing – and perhaps that really is a good thing. Companies are setting their standards even higher than before; they want to offer the highest possible level of customer service; gain a competitive advantage over others in the marketplace; build a brand that is known for being reliable.
As a result, the change those companies asked the FIA for was qualifications. “We need qualifications for fire detection and alarm engineers,” they said. “We want a robust and formalised education system for our technicians. We want to offer the highest skilled technicians in the marketplace.”
“Let’s see what we can do,” we said, scratching our heads with a brew in one hand and a pen in the other. So yes, the FIA is changing. We’ve now successfully added four new qualifications to our already well-known and much-trusted training portfolio. “We want these qualifications to be suitable for beginners joining the industry and for people with a bit of experience who want to have proof of their competence,” said the voices of the fire industry.
And that is exactly what we’ve done. Our new qualifications are for everyone, offered nationwide through the same experienced and well-trusted trainers that we’ve had for years. You can get qualified to be an Advanced Designer, an Advanced Installer, Advanced Maintainer, or Advanced Commissioner in fire detection and alarm systems.
That does mean that, yes, we have had to do some shaking up of our own. Some of our old courses will be ending and the new qualification courses will take their place in January 2018.
Our training has just…evolved. We moved forward, changed, developed something that was more suitable for the environment facing 2018 where standards are extremely high. The landscape, as they say, has shifted – and so businesses need to shift with it. The environment we are in today is different to 10 years ago when the FIA as we know it today was formed from a merger of our two ancestor trade associations.
What’s the difference between doing training and doing this qualification?
You’ve pretty much just said it. Training is, well, just training. You get the knowledge you need and can effectively carry out what you’ve learned.
Ian Gurling, the FIA Awarding Organisation Manager, said: “The difference between training and the qualifications can be boiled down to quality assurance. The qualifications have the gravitas offered through external quality assurance in the processes of development, ensuring that qualifications are developed to serve the needs of the industry.
“I usually describe training with the analogy that you can train a dog to sit: they don’t know why they are sitting, just that they have to. The qualifications provide learning, you understand the knowledge being imparted, how to use that knowledge and why.”
A qualification carries prestige with it. It’s like a badge to prove your achievements. In addition, it is fully backed by an Ofqual-recognised Awarding Body (Ofqual is the government authority for exams and qualifications in England. We’re also recognised in Wales and Northern Ireland through their respective government education authorities).
Are the old FIA training courses really ending?
Yes. We’re retiring the old fire detection and alarm courses in favour of the qualifications. From January 2018, only the qualifications will be offered and the old fire detection and alarm units will be enjoying their retirement.
But seriously – no worries. We consulted with industry bodies, employers, and learners to figure out what they wanted on the new courses and used all of that research to develop something new and relevant to 2017 and beyond.
So what you’re learning isn’t ‘gone’; just different! We’ve supersized everything and beefed it up with lots of juicy extras to get everything you could possibly want to know into one qualification.
What can I expect when studying the qualification pathway?
As you can imagine, the subject of fire detection and alarm systems is a technical one. So naturally, the things you will be studying will be highly technical in nature – and you will be studying some of it to an A-Level standard. This is what sets them apart from any other training available – because without that high level of knowledge involved, they wouldn’t be as valuable to you once you’d left the classroom.
However, we will expect that you will have good reading and writing skills, and be prepared to study a high level of technical information in order to prepare for the examinations.
What are the exams like?
Unlike our other courses, the qualification examinations are a formal process. You will not be allowed to refer to any other reference material other than your own test and it will be fully invigilated to prevent any cheating. So you really do need to know your stuff! Trust us when we say you’ll be grateful for memorising it all once you’re out installing or commissioning something at work.
But don’t panic. The qualifications are achievable and we will help you get there. If you decide to join us, you’ll get all the support you need: comprehensive face-to-face classes, the benefit of a trainer with years of experience and a free resit in the unlikely event that you don’t pass the first time.
Visit www.fia.uk.com to find out more.
Ian Moore
CEO
Fire Industry Association (FIA)
Tel: +44 (0)203 166 5002
Twitter: @FireIndustry
