The training arm of the UK Civil Aviation Authority (UK CAA), CAA International (CAAi), has announced a new Security Management Systems (SeMS) two-day training course.

The SeMS Framework was introduced in 2014 by the UK CAA and the Department for Transport to allow entities to identify and address security risks, threats, gaps and vulnerabilities consistently and proactively. Since its inception in the UK, the ICAO Secretariat has described the UK’s approach as “the first practical exposition of previously theoretical material”.

Based on the concept of a safety management system, a SeMS advocates that;

• Security risks should be managed at the right level, overseen by company boards.
• Activities should be measured to provide management information on security performance.
• There should be people in the organisation who are accountable for maintaining rigorous security standards, using the management information.
• There should be a culture that promotes high-security standards throughout the company.

This brand-new course, developed by the UK CAA’s own Aviation Security unit, draws on the fundamentals of how to establish and maintain an effective SeMS. Delegates will learn how to apply the principles of a SeMS into the work environment, the importance of a positive security culture, and the value of an organisation having a SeMS in place to facilitate risk and threat identification leading to effective performance assurance.

UK CAA director of aviation security Peter Drissell says: “A Security Management System is there to proactively develop and maintain an effective oversight and quality assurance process within your organisation. It is about taking a systemic approach to managing security risks, in ways which serve to instil security in the routine daily activities of an organisation and indeed its very culture. This course will give industry professionals and fellow AvSec regulators a solid understanding of SeMS and help build the competencies needed to design, implement and maintain an effective security management system.”

The first Security Management System course will take place at the CAA’s London Gatwick training facilities on between 11-12 February 2019. The two-day event costs £820.00 (VAT exclusive price).