Some 15 Showsec managers became the first in the UK to receive a new foundation degree in ‘Applied Professional Studies in Crowd Management’ awarded by the University of Derby Corporate, UDC. An inaugural degree presentation ceremony was at Pride Park, the home of Derby County Football Club, on April 26.
The foundation degree was developed with UDC. to form part of a development path from steward to senior management as part of Showsec’s Management Development Program. The programme manager Keith Hackett says: “This graduation is a proud moment for the company, it is the fruition of five years investment to create a groundbreaking course and qualification with a content-relevant degree syllabus. We’ve worked with UDC to include innovative processes, such as thought provoking classroom sessions challenging current security and crowd management procedures, and taking input from external industry experts to ensure we are at the cutting edge of thinking relating to the specific skills required by professionals in an evolving live events industry.
“The programme is specifically designed to incorporate blended learning methods, including real time operational learning experiences at major events and festivals, on-the-job mentoring with support from experienced leading experts, and our state of the art E-Learning platform, which now hosts over 75 modules, resulting in an education program which is relevant and progressive.
“The course has three strands focussing on developing operational expertise, leadership and achieving high standards of administrative competence. Our clients have benefited from the services of confident, qualified, fully rounded managers with a thirst for success fuelled by the drive for innovation. This is the genesis of the next generation of crowd managers who will shape the future of the industry.”
Showsec managing director Mark Harding was invited to present the ‘Industry Address’ to the audience. In a speech he said: “Today is the culmination of individual achievement, company investment and the delivery of commercially relevant education. UDC has been outstanding in meeting our higher education needs and enabled us to fulfil our continued expansion within the industry.”
“These 15 graduates are the first in a stream of operational staff taking this new Foundation Degree, setting a new benchmark for the industry and elevating the strength in depth of our operational team to a new level. Combining personal development with the company’s ambitions has been fundamental to the success of the program. In keeping with our commitment to continuous product improvement, this autumn we will release the next innovative programme for our more senior managers. Providing these development opportunities for individuals alongside our cohesive approach to improving industry standards can only continue to benefit our clients.”
For details of the next programme visit the Training section of Showsec’s website – http://www.showsec.co.uk/training/index.aspx – or call learning and development manager Keith Hackett on 0116 204 3309.
Pictured from left to right: Richard Elliot, Andrew Edwards, Darren Evans, Lisa Byrom-Papas, Martin Lewis, Thomas Bailey, Simon Battersby, Timothy Chambers, Keith Hackett, Joseph Taylor, Mark Harding, Craig Bennett, Louise Stockden, Bobak Javaheri, Tom Rigby, Sam Hodkin, Tony Hulme.
