The Locksmith Journal Jul-Aug 2017 - Issue 51 | Page 48

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. LOCKSMITHJOURNAL.CO.UK | JUL/AUG 2017 Sponsored by SMP Security Solutions 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).