CoESS at Agoria BSDI Belgium: Aligning Purpose, Skills and Reality in the Security Workforce
Private security is essential to Europe’s resilience and preparedness. Yet, it remains largely invisible and under-recognised. At AGORIA’s BSDI pring Members Day on 24 March in Antwerp, CoESS Director General Catherine Piana presented the findings of the EU-funded INTEL Next Generation project, co-led by the Social Partners CoESS and UNI Europa.
Insights from the project show that young professionals (<35) are not indifferent to security career, far from it. They are attracted by:
- Purpose and contribution to public security
- Stability in uncertain times
- Meaningful, mission-driven work with technological content
But attraction alone is not enough. The real challenge is retention. Many new entrants face a gap between expectations and reality - particularly around:
- Pay
- Life-work balance
- Limited task variety
- Unclear prospects and paths
As underlined during the presentation: people don’t leave sectors, they leave situations.
The ambition of the workforce is there. The skills are evolving. The need is growing. But the system must catch up. Stronger recognition, clearer career pathways, and quality-driven frameworks are essential to:
- Retain talent
- Enable mobility across security, defence and law enforcement
- Build long-term resilience
Europe is investing heavily in technology. But security remains human. Trained, motivated and recognised professionals, not technology alone, will secure Europe’s future.
The question is no longer how to attract people. It’s whether we are ready to recognise them, and give them a reason to stay.
More on INTEL here: www.securityskills.eu