Emotional Intelligence Training for the Security Industry Launches

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05 May 2021

The International Foundation for Protection Officers has announced a mental health training programme for the security industry this week, focussing on an empathetic response to unusual behaviour.

The International Foundation for Protection Officers (IFPO), along with global learning and development specialists Ethos Farm have created an avatar-led online programme for security personnel called "Being Human".

Security staff, who might often find themselves in a first responder role during a mental health crisis, can use the training to explore the many factors that influence how someone behaves and the challenges that someone with a mental or physical condition may experience.

Being Human is an avatar-led e-Learning programme available to purchase on a learner-by-learner basis and is also available as a virtual classroom session. 

"We expect security employees to welcome guests, answer customer enquiries and yet handle extreme situations that can be very complex to judge. It is imperative that we support these individuals when dealing with challenging behaviours..."

–Sally Alington

CEO, Ethos Farm

Picture: a screenshot from IFPO's training, showing three avatars

Handling Situations With Empathy and Emotional Intelligence

Following the IFPO "Security Minds Matter" webinar last week, Mike Hurst CPP MSyI, Director of IFPO UK & Ireland commented: “We are hugely excited to launch the Being Human training programme today, a joint initiative designed and developed with Ethos Farm, and what better moment to release the news than following the Security Minds Matter webinar.” 

“At the very heart of IFPO is a desire to support security personnel by offering leading educational products and we were very excited to discover Ethos Farm’s unique approaches to immersive learning for a next generation experience.” 

Ethos Farm was named the Learning & Performance Institute’s Learning Start-up of the Year at the 2020 Learning Awards and has gained recognition for engaging training techniques with clients such as Edinburgh Airport and Heathrow Express. 

Speaking about the programme, Ethos Farm’s co-founder of Learning & Development Josie Barton said: “Working with IFPO on this joint initiative has enabled us to take their unparalleled security industry expertise and combine with training topics we have developed around human behaviours and empathetic service.” 

“This has enabled us to collaboratively build a training product that delves deep into the reasons behind unusual behaviours and how to handle such situations as a security-first responder. Our goal is to build appreciation of the spectrum of mental and physical conditions so that security personnel have the tools to assess the situation with emotional intelligence.” 

Security Personnel Often the First or Last Impression of Any Brand

Chris Middleton Dip ML MSyl, Security and Client Services Director at ABM UK and Board Member of IFPO UK & Ireland added; “We are acutely conscious that security professionals are expected to be the first responders in sometimes challenging and difficult circumstances, whilst acting with calculated precision. However, natural human engagement and empathy are often the very best ways to assess and diffuse situations and so we are delighted to be able to offer this enhanced training programme to the industry” 

Sally Alington, CEO of Ethos Farm commented: 

“As a business that is passionate about elevated employee and customer experiences, we know that frontline workforces are seen as ambassadors for the brands they represent. Security personnel therefore, are often the first or last impression of any brand. We expect security employees to welcome guests, answer customer enquiries and yet handle extreme situations that can be very complex to judge. It is imperative that we support these individuals when dealing with challenging behaviours and we are very proud to be working hand in hand with IFPO to offer these important learning programmes to security professionals.” 

ThisWeekinFM recently interviewed Stephen Peal of PPS Power, who is a trained mental health first aider, about this experience with its type of training. You can watch the interview here. 

Picture: a photograph of a person wearing a high-vis jacket, with the word "security" written on the reverse

Article written by Ella Tansley | Published 05 May 2021

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