http://vsg.co.uk/modules/rss/index.php The latest news from VSG en-gb VSG are proud to announce the launch of the Talent Management Programme for 2011. The Talent Management Programme (TMP) is designed to develop and mentor candidates to become the Managers of the future for VSG. To date, the TMP has been an invaluable tool in developing our internal talent and has proved to be integral to several management appointments.The Talent Management Programme application process is open to any employee who has previous or current, supervisory or management experience. Those applicants who successfully make it through the assessment centre process, will be rewarded with a coveted place on the programme. As well as receiving training to learn new knowledge, skills and techniques, each participant will be assigned a Mentor to enable learning to take place outside of the classroom to ‘learn the ropes' of being an Operations Manager. This is not just an in-house development programme; upon successful completion of the TMP, candidates are awarded the Level 3 Award in First Line Management, accredited by the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM). This means that you will gain a recognised higher level qualification which demonstrates your skill and knowledge attainment.Could you be part of the next programme? Do you have the commitment and enthusiasm to go through an intensive application process? Are you prepared to commit to a further 9 months of contextual classroom based learning, work based projects and off line mentoring? Do you want a pathway that leads to the possibility of a more senior management role? If the answer to all of these questions is yes, talk to your Area Manager who will be able to provide you with more in-depth information and details of how to apply.Should you decide to apply, remember to submit your application form as quickly as possible to your Area Manager as there are several approval stages which must 2012-02-07 17:11:38 VSG are excited to announce that in April 2011 we will launch the first of our new apprenticeship frameworks, the Security Excellence Qualification (SEQ). For the past few years VSG has been working closely with the National Employer Service, Awarding Organisations and Skills for Security to develop learning and development qualifications that are directly relevant to your role, provide real learning and career development opportunities that are specifically designed to meet the needs of the security sector and in particular, our business. The Q & A below has been designed to give you all the information you need to understand what this new qualification is all about and to highlight the benefits it will bring to you.What are Apprenticeships?They are work based training programmes contained within a structured framework. They are designed with assistance from employers and are based around their needs. They give staff the skills to do a job well and lead to the achievement of nationally recognised qualifications. What is an Apprenticeship Framework?There are a number of different elements to each Apprenticeship; a competency based element, a technical element and a skills element. This is called a Framework. This Framework provides the opportunity for you to achieve a range of qualifications, each individually certificated, as you progress through your training. How has the SEQ been specifically designed for VSG?We have written and produced the content ourselves based on the framework criteria. This makes it both relevant and specific for our business and our staff. What level of qualification will this programme give me?It is a full Level 2 qualification and is broadly equivalent to 5 GCSE's grade A - C. In the future we will be introducing further frameworks which will 2011-03-25 11:12:19 The inaugural training day of the Talent Management Programme (TMP) took place on 21st September 2010. The day was kicked off by Bill Muskin, Chairman of VSG. Bill addressed the 11 TMP candidates and explained how the TMP came to be and how it has developed over the years. He also talked about his personal commitment to training and development and his hopes for this year's Talent Management Programme. The day also included the first training session of the programme and also gave the candidates an opportunity to meet and get to know their mentors. The final 11 that were selected to be 2010 TMP candidates are:Steven MansfieldMartin BurgessHarvey SimpsonAndy IrvingEvelyn McDonaghClaire JohnsMark WaltersAshley HamesAlex BowlerJohn WebbDan BennettRebecca Clake, Management Development Manager who is responsible for overseeing the Talent Management Programme commented "The standard of the applicants who attended the Assessment Centres was high and the final decision on who was selected for inclusion on the Talent Management Programme was by no means easy. I am confident that those individuals chosen have the potential and personal drive to ensure that they best use both the Talent Management Programme and the Mentoring Programme to ensure that they are the Managers of tomorrow."The Mentor Programme has been specifically developed for this years' TMP to ensure that the mentors received more formal training on the expectations associated with their role and also to instil and reaffirm the basic skills that a mentor requires. The mentors that have been selected to support our TMP candidates are already Operational Managers who have the skill, knowledge and experience which can be passed on to further develop the candidates outside of the formal development training Sandra Warren, Head of Training and Development says "The Mentors will p 2010-10-04 10:24:06 VSG has joined Compass Group UK & Ireland in a move which is set to underpin the continued growth and development of the business as the UK's premier provider of security services. The partnership reinforces the Compass strategy to establish itself as a leading presence in the support services industry. Ian Sarson, Group Managing Director of Compass Group UK & Ireland, said: "I am delighted to bring VSG into the Compass portfolio. Its strong organic sales, market leading client retention and organisational culture are an ideal match for our Compass business. The VSG business will materially enhance the security element of our offering and provide a huge opportunity to sell these services to our existing clients. In addition, this will greatly enhance the security part of our 'bundled' offer of soft services across all sectors." Compass Group UK & Ireland is part of Compass Group plc, the world's leading foodservice company. It specialises in providing food, vending and an increasing array of related FM services to support its core business. Compass is a FTSE top 40 company with annual revenues of over £13.4 billion in the year to 30 September 2009. The company operates across the core sectors of Business & Industry, Defence, Offshore & Remote Sites, Healthcare, Education, Sports & Leisure and Vending.Keith Francis, Managing Director of VSG, said: "We are delighted to be working as part of Compass who, as a global support services company, will give us the ideal platform to accelerate our growth. We believe this combination will enable us to build on VSG's success to date and give us an exciting future. The Compass business and culture are 2010-08-25 17:17:16 VSG are proud to announce the launch of the Talent Management Programme for 2010. The Talent Management Programme (TMP) is designed to develop and mentor candidates to become the Managers of the future for VSG. The Talent Management Programme ran very successfully in 2009 and was integral in developing and appointing several Management positions. Sandra Warren, Head of Training and Development says"We see the development of our internal talent pool as one of our key resourcing strategies for our future operational management requirements and just as important, a way of recognising and nurturing the talent we all know exists within our business.The primary aim of the TMP is to identify individuals who are ripe for further development and give them the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to operate and succeed at the next level. On the back of last years' success, we look forward to receiving a record number of applications."The Talent Management Programme is made up of 9 modules spaced over a period of 9 months with several course work elements that are also required to be completed. As a result the candidates are then rewarded upon successful completion, a Level 3 Award in First Line Management accredited by the Institute of Leadership and Management.The Talent Management Programme application process is open to any employee who has previous or current supervisory or management experience. Any employee who is interested in applying for the Talent Management Programme should speak to their Area Manager initially. The Area Manager will be able to provide the application form and also some frequently asked questions that should answer any queries.Any employees who want to apply will need to complete the application form as quickly as possible as there are several stages involving the Area Manager and also Operations Directors following the submission of the application f 2010-07-09 17:48:55 Even for experienced facilities managers, procuring security services can be quite a challenge, says Bill Muskin, Chairman of VSG, one of the UK's fastest growing providers of security services.The main problem that facilities managers face when selecting suppliers of security services is easy to state - at present, there is no reliable indicator to help them differentiate between the many companies that currently offer such services. One possible solution is for FMs to contact existing clients of the suppliers they are considering, and ask for comments and endorsements. However, that's a very time consuming process, especially when you remember that there are hundreds of companies from which to choose.What's needed is some form of quality mark or certification that would show immediately which are the best security suppliers. This is by no means a new idea. As long ago as 2003, the British Security Industry Association (BSIA) started work on developing a new operating standard called ‘Towards the Future'. This was to have been a voluntary scheme that would highlight the best security providers within the BSIA.Work on this project was stopped when the Security Industries Authority (SIA) announced plans for its own Approved Contractor Scheme (ACS) which the BSIA expected to do a similar job. Unfortunately, it doesn't. The ACS scheme is certainly a step in the right direction, but the reality is that it indicates only that a security provider has met what can best be described as "entry level" requirements.It's not hard to provide evidence to support this point of view. There are currently around 650 ACS accredited suppliers of security services in the UK, yet there can be very few informed people who believe that there are 650 top-flight companies in the security industry. Put simply, the conclusion has to be that ACS accreditation does not provide the much-needed clear differentiation between the best 2010-05-10 11:23:08 In recognition of the courage of servicemen and servicewomen in the Middle East and of the sacrifices they are making, VSG, Britain's most dynamic and innovative provider of security services, has made a donation of £10,000 to Help for Heroes, a charity devoted to supporting those who have been wounded in the current Afghan and Iraqi conflicts. VSG employees across the UK, of which there are more than 5,000, raised money for the donation over the past year by means of a series of activities that included a charity golf day, dress-down days, and a payroll lottery that reserves half of its proceeds for charitable purposes. The employees had previously chosen Help for Heroes as the charity they most wanted to support from a long list of possible options. Simon Reeves, VSG's Human Resources Director, presented the £10,000 cheque to Jane Bowley, Northamptonshire County Co-ordinator of Help for Heroes, at a ceremony held recently at VSG's Northampton headquarters. "We are absolutely delighted to receive this donation from VSG," said Jane Bowley, "and we'd like thank both the staff and the management at the company for the hard work they have put into raising the money, and for their generosity. It is, in fact, the largest single donation that we've ever received in this region, and we are going to put the money to very good use - it will be used to help fund the building of four Personnel Recovery Centres." "These Centres will help wounded personnel to recover from their experiences and the trauma they have suffered in conflict zones. The Centres will be open to members of all three Services, with eligibility decided on a case-by-case basis. Help for Heroes is providing funds to build the Centres, Army staff will run them, and the Royal British Legion will maintain them for at least ten years." "VSG takes its responsibility to the community very serio 2010-05-16 09:17:04 The excellence and exceptional performance of the staff at VSG, Britain's most dynamic and innovative provider of security services, was once again recognised in the regional round of the BSIA Annual Security Personnel Awards 2010, when the company won no fewer than 10 out of the 30 awards - more than any other participating company.Organised by the British Security Industry Association, these prestigious awards are widely regarded as the epitome of achievement for security personnel and, as such, they are fiercely contested. This year individual VSG employees won four Service to the Customer Awards, two Outstanding Act Awards and a Best Newcomer Award. In addition, VSG teams in three regions won Best Team Awards. All of these regional winners will be entered into the judging for the BSIA National Awards, which will be presented in July.At an awards ceremony held at VSG's Northampton HQ, James Kelly, Chief Executive of the BSIA presented the awards to the winning VSG personnel and said: "Winning 10 out of 30 awards is a truly impressive achievement for VSG. The BSIA Awards recognise excellence within the security industry, and also the contribution that security personnel make to the safety and well being of their customers and of the community as a whole. We always receive a large number of entrants and this year was no exception. The winners should, therefore, be very proud of what they've achieved." "I'm very proud of our success at the BSIA Awards," said Bill Muskin, Chairman of VSG. "It confirms what our customers already know - that our officers on the ground consistently deliver services of the highest standard. Customers come to VSG because they can see that it is a quality operation where the staff are highly motivated. These awards confirm and reinforce this deservedly positive perception of our business."Service to the Customer Awards went to Mark Donald in Scotland, for his efforts in creating 2010-04-07 18:06:52 As VSG's City of London office celebrates its first birthday, the company - which is now the UK's fourth largest provider of security services - reports that its strong London presence has helped it to generate new business worth in excess of £15 million from clients in the Capital over the last year. Among the prestigious London-based organisations that have recently awarded VSG multi-million pound contracts are Bank of America Merrill Lynch, BNY Mellon, Cushman & Wakefield, London South Bank University and Broadgate Estates."Our London office in High Holborn is proving to be an invaluable asset," said Leon Barwell, Commercial Director of VSG. "Our operations there provide the clearest possible confirmation for existing and potential clients of our commitment to delivering outstanding security services that are closely focussed on the needs of organisations that operate in and around London.""The office has, without doubt, been a major factor in our success in the capital," he continued, "but we are by no means resting on our laurels. We are continuing to invest in our London-based infrastructure, so that we can improve even further the service we give to our valued clients in the area. We have, for example, recently created the new role of City of London Operations Director and appointed Chris Cray, who is a dynamic and very experienced VSG team member, to this important post."While VSG's London office provides a local point of contact and support for clients in the area and a base for the company's 1000+ London-based staff, it is much more than just an operational support centre. It has its own management team and operates its own in-house services such as human resources management and staff training. The London office also offers an extensive and growing range of services for VSG clients. These services have, for example, recently been extended to include key holding, alarm management and the provision of train 2010-03-30 13:17:59 VSG Verify, a new service now being offered by VSG, one the UK's most successful suppliers of security services, now makes it easy and inexpensive to carry out effective screening and vetting checks on existing and prospective employees, whatever their level or role in an organisation. To underpin the service, VSG has made a large investment in the latest software and technology. These automate the routine parts of the screening and vetting processes, thereby ensuring thoroughness and consistency, as well as saving time and money.VSG has appointed Nick Palmer to head up VSG Verify. Nick brings a wealth of relevant experience to his new role, his previous post having been with a major UK bank where he was responsible for ensuring the effectiveness and compliance of checks made on agency staff. Prior to that, he managed the vetting operations of candidates seeking work in the financial sector for the screening division of a nationwide employment agency."Screening and vetting of employees is becoming increasingly important" said Nick Palmer, "since businesses not only face heavy fines if, for example, they employ staff who are not entitled to work in the UK, but also because an unverified employee at any level, from an office cleaner to a board member, pose significant commercial and financial risks to an organisation.""For these reasons and also because of the growing legislative requirements for authorities such as the FSA and BSIA, many companies now offer screening and vetting services. But VSG Verify is different from the others. It draws on VSG's vast experience in the security industry and of vetting its own staff. It also uses the latest technology and, perhaps most important of all, the VSG Verify service is tailored to meet the exact needs of every client."All checks are performed according to the role of the candidate and the type of employer. These could include packages made up from ID checks, CRB c 2010-03-30 13:20:34