Turiba Univeristy in cooperation with 6 partner universities Lithuania, Spain, Norway, the Netherlands and Finland held discussions with security professionals in the framework of the ERASMUS+ cooperation project in order to find out their opinion about the needs and future of the security profession.

What is clear is that a security specialist is no longer just a guard at the door, or a person who monitors the area or hands out keys. It is a specialist who can assess and analyze potential security risks, who thinks strategically, who knows how to communicate security information to his colleagues and other departments.

It is interesting that despite the different geographical position of each country, the level of economic development, the various policies in the field of security, the conclusions of the experts of all countries were very similar. So here we can say that the problems of the security sector and the issues to be solved are very similar throughout Europe - in the north, east and in the south of Europe.

"More positive trends in security can be observed in the private sector. Companies are increasingly beginning to pay attention and be interested in how to protect their property. Employees are starting to use various modern and effective security technical solutions. In addition, business people are increasingly aware that a security guard is no longer just a person at the front door, controlling the flow of people and handing out keys. Facilities are equipped with various complex security systems, the effective administration and use of which requires both knowledge and understanding of security-related issues. At the moment, the demands on security specialists are increasing, which makes this profession much more prestigious and more competitive in the salary sector", says Uģis Začš, a lecturer at Turība University.

During round table meetings all specialists emphasized that a security specialist must be taught to think broadly and see things in context - it is important to understand organizational strategies, think strategically, provide new specialists with leadership and management skills, and also improve communication and so-called soft skills. Many challenges of the industry already now and in the future are directly related to digitization, artificial intelligence and technology. It is critical to provide security professionals with knowledge in IT, cyber security and technology fields.

The full report is available HERE
The project infographic is available HERE

You can follow to ERASMUS+ project and get to know more about activities in the field of security on the project website: http://security.turiba.lv