In this third, and final instalment detailing my tour around the PSSA facilities and what they do, we hear about the inclusive nature of the organisation and dig deeper into the opportunities offered to the security and safety professionals.
The great thing about the Professional Security & Safety Alliance (PSSA) that I feel when I walk around, talking to staff and candidates, is the welcoming atmosphere.
The alliance prides itself on inclusivity and diversity, bringing in members from Africa, India, the Middle East and elsewhere, from all different backgrounds. Its aim is to give a leg up to people who might otherwise not have those chances to create a stable and longstanding career. As we mentioned in the first instalment of this tour, the aim not only to train security professionals and get them working but create confidence, pride and resilience in its members, and with a job for life, and with benefits that attract people to come, aside from the training itself.
And, not all of them are going to stay in Dubai for more than a year or two, but that City and Guilds local qualification is helping to extend the security industry vocation way outside the Emirates, and back to the home countries of those students.
Liz Jajal, Training and Awareness Officer at PSSA, explains: “We want to make a difference and help improve people’s prospects. I think when you want to attract very good workforce to come out here, they should also know that they have a way ahead, or prospects for career development.
“After the students have finished here with us, they can find a job because of their qualifications, whether that’s in Dubai, or elsewhere in the world as you mention. And those partner companies who we are in the process of building relationships with will also have their own training programs which can add additional qualifications, so it’s really about building that.
“We’re looking to accelerate the membership from 3,000-plus to 10,000 in 12 months. If we achieve this, it will leave an international footprint quite quickly.”
I consider that it’s a very considered set of objectives that the PSSA has got, and that it’s hard to think of other organisations with a similarly broad vision. This was evident at Intersec, which saw PSSA with one of the busiest stands at the show. I also learned, at the time of posting this piece, that as of July 2025, the PSSA has 5300+ members, so they are on track on reach the 10,000 member goal.
“You must be pleased with the impact that your work is having?” I posit.
Chatura Samawickrama, International Relations Manager, adds: “As you know that Dubai itself, we have 65,000 security guards. So, we are planning to bring more people, especially from Dubai. We have few partners from England, from the US, from Saudi and elsewhere different from so in their networking, some people sat here, right from England, IPSA, have 1200 members in the organisation, so we are going to connect with them. So that’s how we are going to expand our membership program. We are supporting by security industry regulatory authority in Dubai, so I believe that time to come, it will be a mandatory for the guards to join PSSA, which will give them more recognition in the industry.”
While I was visiting, I also had the chance to speak to Meghan Noronha, who works in an administrative role as Information Officer for the PSSA. She, as a 24-year-old, also has taken the reins for the social media and promotional aspect of the alliance. Her energy and enthusiasm is clear, so I wonder what it feels like as a younger professional in the security industry to be working with a team that carries so much knowledge, and weight. She tells me about her experience working for the organisation.
“For me, Dubai has always been an attraction. I’m from India and I’ve just recently moved to Dubai; I’ve been here for about a year. I’m by myself here in Dubai, and for my parents to let me go here, says a lot about Dubai, because they trust that Dubai is a safe place for me as a girl, who also lives alone.
“I’m very proud to be a part of this challenge, and also work with all the professionals in this field, and I get to learn a lot.”
Like others I meet at the PSSA facility, having experience in the security industry is not a pre-requisite for building a career here. Meghan worked as a fashion designer in Goa, before her move to Dubai
I wonder, as a younger female, new into Dubai, if Meghan would encourage people to look at the security industry now as a career from what she has learned?
“Yes, definitely,” she says. “My friends are all curious about what I do, and some are inspired by me, and they ask me lots of questions about the profession and how they can also get into it.
“Some people just aren’t aware that this sort of industry is open to them, especially if they’re female, but it’s open to everyone, and I am working, through social media, and through my administrative role here directly with students and prospective students, to spread that awareness, and let people know that it’s a welcoming industry to all.”
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