During 2015 the National Association of Security Dog Users (NASDU) was notified by their preferred exam awarding body HABC who endorse and certificate NASDU’s training that due to regulatory updates being imposed on them by the regulatory authority Ofqual that the framework of their qualifications and how HABC endorse these would have to change. At the time it was stated that these changes were to be implemented as soon as possible and as such were given until May 2016.
Despite discussions with HABC in the preceding months it was still not initially clear exactly what Ofqual required and the consequential implications to NASDU would be and as such it took until towards the end of 2016 for a new format and framework to be agreed.
At this point it must be stressed that any changes would only be about the structure of NASDU qualifications and how they would fit into a new framework of learning approval and not about the content or delivery of their training which have become the benchmark for vocational security dog handling qualifications in the UK security dog sector. As a result of these pending changes NASDU and their security consultant Sara Rathbone formerly of HABC, EDI and ASET worked with the Development Team at HABC to produce a new qualification structure which would consist of two groups; each would have two levels of qualification and each level would have a number of varying pathways dependent on what discipline the learner wished to excel in.
New Qualification Structure
Group 1Security Dogs
•Level 2 Award for a Security Dog Handler
•Level 3 Certificate for a Security Dog Handler
Group 2Detection Dogs
•Level 3 Certificate for a Detection Dog Handler
•Level 4 Certificate for a Detection Dog Handler
New Qualification Pathways
Level 2 Award for a Security Dog Handler
Pathway:
• General Purpose Dog
• Patrol Dog Only
• General Purpose/Tracking Dog
Level 3 Certificate for a Security Dog Handler
Pathway:
• General Purpose Dog
Level 3 Certificate for a Detection Dog Handler
Pathway:
• Passive Drug Detection Dog
• Proactive Drug Detection Dog
• Live Body (Vehicle) Detection Dog
• Live Body (Air Scent) Detection Dog
• Live Body (Tracking) Detection Dog
• Victim (Cadaver) Detection Dog
• Victim (Water Submerged Cadaver) Detection Dog
• Pyrotechnic Detection Dog
• Tobacco Detection Dog
• Bedbug Detection Dog
• Fire Investigation Search Dog
Level 4 Certificte for a Detection Dog
Pathway:
• Explosive Detection Dog
• Explosive Detection Dog (Vehicle Search Only)
• Explosive Detection Dog (Building/Cargo Search Only)
Fact Sheets for all qualification pathways are available online.
All of the above qualifications have been developed by NASDU to meet the National Occupational Standards (NOS) for Security Dog Handling and the training requirements contained in BS 8517 Part 1 Security Dogs and BS 8517 Par 2 Detection Dogs and provides the learner with the basic vocational skills, knowledge and understanding required to ensure the professional level of service.
As a result of the above development work NASDU is pleased to announce that since December 2016 the new Level 2 qualification for Security Dog Handling has been available with the Level 3 and 4 Detection Dog Handler qualifications being available early 2017.
For further details of the new suite of NASDU vocational qualifications which are endorsed by HABC, or NASDU and the work it does for the private security dog sector in the UK visit www.nasdu.co.uk, or contact them at [email protected] or by telephone 01483 224320.
