Young Professionals Rebranding to NextGen, New Certificate Courses, and More Updates from ASIS International
Just as GSX continues to evolve to meet the needs of the security community, ASIS continues to change to better serve and educate its members. Here’s some news from around the association of what’s new in September.
ASIS Communities Rebrand
ASIS International’s Young Professionals Community has been an enthusiastic and effective contributor and ambassador to the broader security community. It regularly hosts community events with featured speakers, partners with other communities and chapters to deliver exceptional content, and it’s a go-to resource when headquarters needs an inspirational ASIS story to tell.
One thing was missing, though. The name of the community, “Young Professionals,” was falling flat. For some, the term implies amateurish or even lack of maturity. To better capture the spirit of the community, it will now be called the NextGen Community.
“We felt this change was necessary to authentically represent our community,” says Christina Pryka, who serves NextGen as its engagement chair. “While age is a factor, our members’ experiences and abilities were not fully represented under the previous brand. This change also positions our community as a support for other communities. NextGeners are dynamic members of other subject area communities in tandem. The rebranding is a public declaration of our purpose and aspirational impact.”
The focus of NextGen continues to be professionals younger than 40 who are new to the security industry. For more information, visit the NextGen Community on ASIS Connects.
In other ASIS community news, the Defense and Intelligence Community has also been renamed and is now the Operational Intelligence Community. The new community is open to all ASIS members and focuses on developing and sharing intelligence-related best practices, including in such areas as open-source techniques and analytic tactics and planning.
In addition, check out the entire roster of 36 ASIS communities. Some are focused on particular industries, others on specific security disciplines. All are open to any ASIS member and are built to foster collaboration, knowledge-sharing, and, well, community.
Essentials of Executive Protection Certificate Course Launches
This online course provides an overview of the discipline of executive protection. It covers the skills executive protection professionals need, executive protection threat and vulnerability assessment techniques, the importance of protective intelligence, and how to approach advance activities.
The course is designed to take three to four hours to complete and includes an assessment tool. Those who successfully complete the course and assessment gain the Essentials of Executive Protection Certificate.
The executive protection course is one of a growing line of self-paced, online essentials courses. Each course is designed to provide a foundational basis for understanding different facets of security operations and management. Other certificate courses are:
- Essentials of Retail Asset Protection
- Essentials of Enterprise Security Risk Management
- Essentials of Security Risk Assessments
- Essentials of Workplace Violence Prevention and Intervention
ASIS Certifications Boost Careers
Once again, the tight job market means every job vacancy is eliciting hundreds of applicants. ASIS certifications can go a long way to helping you stand out by validating that you have a mastery of the subject matter needed to succeed.
The four board certified ASIS certifications are Associate Protection Professional (APP), Certified Protection Professional (CPP®), Physical Security Professional (PSP®), and Professional Certified Investigator (PCI®). Each certificate has an Action Guide you can download. The guide explains each certification, provides an overview of the domains covered on the test, and takes you through the steps of studying for and earning the certification.
You can also read what a variety of people who have earned ASIS certifications say about their experiences—both the process of getting the certificate and the impact it has had on their careers.
ASIS Sets the Standard—and Guidelines
The prolific ASIS Professional Standards Board and related committees completed work on one standard and two guidelines since GSX 2021.
Senior Security Executive Standard: This standard replaces the Chief Security Officer Standard. The revision and update documents what organizations need to do to establish a senior security executive role, how that role fits into the broader organizational context, and outlines key competencies and critical success factors.
Preemployment Background Screening and Vetting Guideline: This guideline describes how employers can implement and maintain a background screening and vetting program as part of their hiring process.
Information Asset Protection Guideline: This revision outlines the approach, components, and processes of building an effective, risk-based approach to information asset protection.
ASIS members can access electronic editions of all ASIS standards and guidelines for free and can purchase print editions at a steep discount, including at the ASIS Bookstore at GSX 2022. Standards and guidelines in development include a new Executive Protection Standard and a revision of the Management System for Quality of Private Security Company Operations – Requirements with Guidance (PSC.1) Standard.
Scott Briscoe is content development director at ASIS International. In his role at ASIS, he conducts original research; directs internal, cross-functional teams that develop, publish, and conduct content; and works on the overall content strategy of ASIS. Connect with him at [email protected] or on LinkedIn.
