How the Security Industry Can Get Involved With Diversity Programs on MLK Day
SIA and FAST among the organizations in the security industry with programs, offerings and guides to increase diversity.
Adobe Stock image by seanlockephotography
As we celebrate the diversity around us and civil rights for all Americans on Martin Luther King Day, here’s a rundown of some of the programs, offerings and guides from the Security Industry Association (SIA) and other security-focused organizations related to creating an open environment:
- SIA’s Talent, Inclusion, Mentorship and Education (TIME) program, presented by the SIA RISE community, is a mentorship program for early and mid-career security industry professionals. TIME was designed to promote diversity, equity, inclusion and empowerment of underrepresented identities in the security industry by creating a well-defined pathway for learning and development. TIME will be opening the 2024 calls for mentors and mentees in the coming weeks.
- SIA’s Security Systems Technician Apprenticeship Program, created to help address the security industry’s workforce challenges, diversify the talent pipeline and foster career development opportunities within the industry, is designed to develop basic networking, IT and cybersecurity competence among systems installers through workplace learning and one-to-one mentoring. This program has focused on bringing underrepresented and/or minority talent to the industry.
- The annual Security LeadHER Conference, set for this year in Phoenix on June 24 and 25, is the brainchild of SIA and ASIS International with a goal to “advance, connect and empower women in security.”
- SIA’s What a Security Career Can Do for You guide highlights the exciting career opportunities available in our industry, as explained by a diverse group of security industry professionals. One key area discussed in the guide is how the industry is working to promote DE&I.
- SIA was proud to join the HBCU Partnership Challenge in 2023. This initiative was created to strengthen the future sustainability of historically Black colleges and universities, increase career prospects for their students and advance diversity and inclusion within all sectors of employment through the expansion of public-private investments.
- Last year, in celebration of Black History Month, SIA joined forces with the International Organization of Black Security Executives and ASIS International to present a video series of inclusive conversations exploring how Black History Month can be a springboard to deeper understanding and conversations in workplaces around the world.
- While the Foundation for Advancing Security Talent (FAST)’s National Security Technician Day celebration isn’t specifically a diversity program, it’s a celebration of the unsung heroes of all backgrounds who are responsible for installing the systems that protect all of us today.
Editor’s note: If you know of any other programs across the industry aimed at increasing and embracing diversity, please send them to web editor Craig MacCormack at [email protected].
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