The Urban Institute (UI) collected data from a number of security experts to be able to forecast the emerging security challenges in the coming years. The security experts that were consulted were comprised of traditional and less traditional sources. Some of the fields represented were banking, health care, hospitality, Information Technology, insurance, retail, services, and transportation.
Findings from the UI study offer a number of ways of thinking about security needs in the coming years. For instance, it was noted that the aging population will remain in the workforce longer and they will provide a reliable security workforce. However, the older workforce will be much less familiar with technology. It is believed that the youthful population will be much more familiar with and knowledgeable of the state of technology. As such, it was recommended that security managers use educational networks to recruit competent and skillful workers into the security industry.
The trend toward increasing diversity in the United States was seen as having security implications. For instance, the increase in cultural, ethnic, and geographic diversity may create language barriers, culture clashes, and discrimination concerns. It is important for security managers to embrace the growing diversity and to find employees who can work within a diverse milieu.
Terrorism will also continue to be a concern in the years ahead. Security professionals will be tasked to protect soft targets, in addition to the obvious high visibility targets. Thus, the security industry will have to protect venues such as public places, food supplies, and electrical grids. Needless to say, any future terrorist attack will stimulate a high demand for more security personnel. That demand will complicate the already complex process of finding qualified personnel.
Terrorist attacks were a major concern noted by security experts. In particular, transportation experts noted a potential mass casualty attack as their most pressing concern. As mentioned above, soft targets are also a real concern. Areas considered soft targets and thus vulnerable to attack, include hospitals, shopping malls, and hotels. These require increased screening and control technology as well as personnel.
To mitigate the terrorism threat, the security experts recommended increasing visibility of security staff, implementing security measures consistently, and responding to security breaches in ways that do not reveal security protocols. They also recommended approaching terrorism from a criminal perspective and implementing flexible plans for dealing with terrorist attacks.
The study by the UI offers important findings for security managers. It also offers a glimpse of the career outlook in the security profession. The data suggested that people with a protection degree, homeland security training, or background in national security studies will be in demand. Indeed, the terrorism threat will require employees to have homeland security training. Background in national security studies or a protection degree, while likely not mandatory, will nonetheless help an applicant secure employment.
In summary, the UI conducted a study of security experts and found that among other things, the terrorism threat will persist into the coming years. Security managers, as a result, will be looking for qualified candidates. Those candidates can increase their qualification with a protection degree, homeland security training, or training in national security studies.
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Dan Sommer works for Henley-Putnam University, a leading educational institution in the field of Strategic Security. For more info on Henley-Putnam University, protection degree, homeland security training, call 888-852-8746 or visit us online at http://www.Henley-Putnam.edu
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