Diplomas sponsored by Certis Cisco help officers improve skills
Staff Sergeant Mohamed Nazreen, 37, and senior aviation security supervisor Gordon Lane, 40, lead aviation security teams of over 100 men each at Changi Airport.
The duo are Certis Cisco officers and fresh graduates - they embarked on part-time diplomas in police and security studies at Temasek Polytechnic in 2015, graduating last Thursday along with two other Certis Cisco officers.
As classes were held thrice weekly from 7pm to 10pm, Staff Sgt Nazreen and Mr Lane sometimes had to leave work early, but their company and colleagues were supportive.
Mr Lane said: "My colleagues let me focus on my studies. I did not have to constantly check on them as they kept me updated on work."
Their return to school was initiated and sponsored by security organisation Certis Cisco, which aims to upgrade their employees' skills and encourage career progression.
The diploma course covers topics such as mediation, people management and criminal law.
It also includes problem-solving, which the officers said is essential in daily tasks such as organising manpower deployment.
Mr Lane said: "The course helped us analyse problems, generate solutions then implement and access plans."
The course also strengthened their people management skills.
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Staff Sgt Nazreen said: "I moved from the military to the service industry. In the military, it was more regimental. Now, I can relate to my team much better and I also learnt to listen to them."
Since 1999, Certis Cisco has sponsored 60 officers to attend courses related to their specialised fields. The officers were selected based on recommendations and their work performance.
Certis Cisco also arranges internal and external programmes that teaches officers the most recent industry practices, including new technology catered towards imminent terror threats.
Having officers participate in the courses is also an initiative to promote lifelong learning.
Ms Ivy Oh, senior vice-president of Certis Group's human resource department, said: "In today's economy, lifelong learning is essential to the personal and professional development of employees.
"Over the past decade, we have devoted substantial resources to support our staff in upgrading their skills to meet the changing needs of the security industry.
"Through our efforts, our employees are empowered to pursue their aspirations to achieve vertical and lateral career progression with Certis Group."
Mr Lane and Staff Sgt Nazreen, both fathers, are keen on setting good examples for their children by continuing to upgrade themselves.
Mr Lane said: "At my age, after not attending school for so long, I proved that I can still achieve learning if I want to do it."
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