48 • MLAEXPO2017
About
the MLA
» » THE MASTER
Locksmiths Association
(MLA) is the leading
trade association for the
locksmithing industry.
A truly not-for-profit
organisation promoting
the skill and integrity of
its approximately 1,400
members, it was established
more than 50 years
ago to set and promote
standards of conduct,
practice and materials within
locksmithing.
Recognised as the
authoritative body for
locksmithing by the police,
Home Office, British
Standards Institute (BSI),
The Risk Insight, Strategy
and Control Authority
-RISCAuthority (formally
IPCRes, the UK property
insurers’ technical group)
and Building Research
Establishment (BRE), the
MLA also has a subsidiary
company, Sold Secure,
which performs certification
of security products via
manual attack testing.
‘promoting the skill
and integrity of
its approximately
1,400 members’
MLA member companies,
which undergo strict vetting
(including criminal record
checks, regular inspections
to ensure quality etc.), are
able to provide advice
based on knowledge and
experience, recommend
products that are fit for
purpose as well as provide
professional installation and
maintenance services.
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PROFESSIONAL TRAINING
The MLA also provides
training from its purpose
built training facility based at
the company headquarters
in Daventry, consisting of a
classroom type environment
for theory work and fully
equipped workshop for the
hands-on practical elements
(NB. due to the content of
some courses they may only
be open to MLA members).
Courses currently include
general locksmithing;
opening; access control,
safe engineering and
Auto Locksmithing, with
others currently under
development.
Training will be on the
agenda during the MLA
EXPO 2017 at Telford
– details will shortly be
available on the website
(www.locksmiths.co.uk/mla-
expo).
The MLA is also the
chosen partner of Skills for
Security for the delivery of
the “off the job” training
linked to the formal
Locksmiths Apprenticeship.
With the MLA’s drive to
“legitimise the profession”
and make locksmithing a
“proper job” the association
has put its money where
its mouth is and funded the
development of the formal
apprenticeship, enabling
those companies who are
looking to expand to take
on an apprentice and have
them meet certain criteria/
goals required by the first
ever formal locksmith
qualification (which
depending on the age of
the apprentice can also be
government funded).