In an effort to upskill over 8,000 team members, Guardsman Group has launched an online learning programme, Guardsman University.

At the hybrid official launch event on Friday last, Executive Chairman Kenny Benjamin said that, through the years, a number of people have rose through the ranks within the group. The platform will now provide additional support to equip staff to develop professionally.

“Training and development have always been important factors in our operations at Guardsman and Guardsman Group. Our guards have always had to go through weeks of training before they’re sent out to work on a location. Now that the world is becoming a more dynamic place, we need to upgrade our systems to keep pace with the rapid changes in technology,” Benjamin said.

The initiative which marks as an investment in a future-ready workforce, encourages staff in all divisions across the group to access courses free of charge.

“The ones who make use of this opportunity will have an advantage over the ones who don’t. Remember, once you educate yourself, no one can take that away from you. It always belongs to you, whether you stay with us or you move on, and whether you change professions, you will have something valuable that you did not have before,” he continued.

He noted that 700 people have already enrolled and 300 have completed their courses.

Courses are self-paced and include Microsoft Office beginners, language and communication, customer service, financial empowerment, time management, sexual harassment, supervisory management, cyber security, and others.

According to principal of Guardsman University Jacqueline Passley, team members that successfully complete courses and the assessments will receive a digital certificate signalling their competence.

She pointed out that corporate universities differ from traditional learning institutions as it’s the organisation’s way of offering learning and learning opportunities to team members in a very organised, systematic, and structured way.

However, Passley added that in, the future, the group has plans to partner with learning institutions to offer certified courses through the university platform.

Meanwhile, Guardsman Group Managing Director Vinay Walia urged like-minded individuals to join the group, “If you are young or young at heart, like me, progressive with extraordinary dreams and desire to grow and succeed this is the place for you. If you see change as a challenge to embrace, Guardsman group is the place for you.”

“If you’re reasonably techno-centric and you’re dialled into the technology as a key foundation in the way businesses will operate, then join us. Times are changing and so are we. Guardsman University will be the development field where talent will be nurtured and prepared for the future roles in the group, and will be at the heart of ensuring we are ready for our future expansion efforts,” he declared.