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The occasion was the annual Apprentice of the Year Awards organised by SESCO (South East Security Co-operative). SESCO was the first of the co-operative training schemes set up in the UK to try to end the chronic problem of installation companies poaching trained staff instead of training them up as apprentices.

As the first such scheme, it spearheaded the idea of employers getting together to have a say on the contents of the training course and, crucially, the order in which the knowledge is to be taught, so maximising their use on site. Many youngsters who have been through the three year apprenticeship since SESCO started eight years ago are now doing well as qualified engineers. This month's event awarded nearly 30 apprentices who had made their grades.

It was good to see a demonstration of the importance the industry attaches to this grassroots training by the attendance of the industry's top VIPs, including Tim Geddes, Chairman of the BSIA, Tom Mullarkey, Chief Executive of the NSI and Geoff Rendall Accreditation Manager of the SSAIB. The evening was hosted by Noel Sargent, SITO's National Training Programmes Manager and George Mullaly, SESCO Chairman.

Security Installer has always striven to support the co-operatives idea and the drive to end the skills shortage. We will publish a full list of award winners next month ... and other UK co-operatives, send us details of your apprentices' achievements. As George Mullaly said, these apprentices are the future proprietors, industry movers and VIPs. In a few years they will be making the decisions on which this industry depends.

The industry and the installer base is changing ... but even with all the emphasis on today's cutting edge technology there's still one basic requirement that doesn't change. As one of the employers behind SESCO told me: "It doesn't matter how much IT or technical knowledge they have unless they are good on the tools and can hold a screwdriver properly." So employers, it's down to you to get together to identify and train up your future stars.

SITO provides all guidance on this and full details on Modern Apprenticeships and the the co-operative set up are available on their website (www.sito.co.uk). The excuse that there's no point in training up youngsters because they go off to other companies doesn't hold water. If you treat your engineers well, pay them well, they will stay and, because they know exactly what your company requires, they will be its most valuable resource.