ONLINE TRAINING COURSES FOR SURVEILLANCE OPERATORS

One thing that I have come to realise is that there is a lot of focus on new CCTV technologies. There are plenty of websites, blogs and companies involved in the installation and manufacture of CCTV systems. This is all very understandable but the system is only as good as the operator. In relation, I have found very few resources for CCTV operators and most of what is available tends towards management or directors.

In terms of surveillance training, there is also very little available, in particular online. Most training in itself is in house, and as we all know, the quality of in house training differs from casino to casino. With this in mind, I have been scouring the internet looking for surveillance training facilities and have found a few but, for a lot of us who can’t make it to the USA or UK to attend the schools there, our next best option is the internet in terms of online courses.

Understandably, there is no generic training or qualification which will allow Surveillance managers to measure prospective operators against, but I am sure that most of them do have that concern regarding the level of training when hiring a new operator. Not all surveillance departments have the staffing luxury to properly train new staff and On the Job Training also has its limitations.

One aspect which quickly became very clear when I started working on cruise ships, is the level of exposure and skills needed. Back in South Africa, by gaming law, operators are not allowed to get involved in the technical side of the operations as much as surveillance technicians are not allowed to be used as operators. On coming to the ships, I learnt new skills in terms of installing and removing cameras, basic VCR repairs/trouble shooting, etc. I reached a stage where I realised that although my technical skills would never rival that of a technicians, I still needed to improve my understanding of the technical aspect of CCTV.

So, once again, back to Google…

I found what appeared to be a fantastic course in the UK, offered by TAVCOM, however, in terms of pricing, that was a little out of my budget. After gaining membership with ASIS International, I was digging through their course offerings when I found an online course for CCTV & Digital Video offered by STAM. The contents of the course seemed comprehensive and the reviews (which I am always sceptical about) seemed positive.

The price range seemed right and they offered discount if you registered for more courses at the same time. Great! First problem I encountered was that when activating the link to the STAM site, there was a discrepancy in pricing. This is usual indicative of lack of site maintenance. On further browsing I was sent to the new STAM Interactive site (www.staminteractive.com), which seemed like the new look site. Fair enough, but here the pricing and discounts offered also seemed a little different to what was advertised by ASIS and by the previous site.

By this stage I was not too keen on applying for more than one course due to all the various pricings. I tried to register for the CCTV & Digital Video and after completing the online form I was given an error message indicating that I had to talk to a sales person. After my third attempt to complete and submit the form I got a tad bit irritated and emailed the contact address.

A few days later, I got a call from a very helpful and concerned sales person and within 10 minutes I was registered for the course, money deducted and all the necessary passwords and usernames issued. The student is also given a 30 day license with the option of extending the license.

The course which I registered for, CCTV & Digital Video, is not going to turn me into a technician. The objective of this course is educating operators, sales persons, etc on the technical aspect of CCTV systems and to give them a greater understanding and awareness of what is involved.

Logging on and getting set up was simplicity itself. The layout, format and presentation of the course are very user friendly and simple. I went through my first modules; Wired vs. Wireless, CCTV Components, Analogue/Hybrid/Digital systems, Scanning and Lighting. Each module comprises of a page, with audio information, diagrams and text. It is all laid out in an easy to understand format. On clicking on various diagrams, further explanations are offered. What I found very useful was that each diagram from the Analogue/Hybrid/Digital systems modules clearly explained the start and finish process – from camera to end user. What was lacking, so far, in my opinion is a more serious look at the disadvantages/weakness of digital systems. It seemed to be hailed as the panacea of CCTV systems.

So far, the course has reinforced what I already know about CCTV systems but has also increased my understanding and cleared up questions that I had been mulling over. I will continue with the course until its completion and hopefully pass the exam/quizzes. A certificate is issued on achieving a certain grade and that is now my objective.

For those who are interested, I will keep you updated via this blog…