Evan Harte - Security Services
During my Erasmus+ placement, I participated in many activities which involved threat management scenarios, and discussions about the security industry. I learned a lot about the Finnish security system and how they do things in comparison to the Irish system. The main thing I will take away from this experiencing is how to handle different situations with confidence while working in the security sector. I also greatly improved my communication skills to an extent that I could even communicate effectively with the other pupils, who had a low level of English. I appreciate being picked for this opportunity.
Liam Fleming - Security Services
I enjoyed being totally out of my comfort zone and being somewhat thrown in the deep end in terms of the language and culture. I feel I work better in that kind of situation. I enjoyed the journey with new people I never met before and getting to know each of the 9 individuals. The biggest skill I developed was my Communication skills. I had Communication skills before I set off but I found a whole new level to it. Being able to understand and get my point across to people from a different country with a different culture and language has enlarged my Communication skills as a whole. This Erasmus+ experience has left me driven to succeed because if I am able to work in a climate where there was limited interaction (due to the language barrier) to begin with and turn it into this wonderful working experience, I can do it again, and, I can do it anywhere.
Stephen Thompson - Security Services
During our training we went through many different scenarios such as bomb threats, fire drills and doing searches on people. I believe that I gained several new skills and a better ability to conduct myself in my profession. For instance I now feel more confident and comfortable asking people for identification and doing 'pat downs'. This will defiantly help me back in Ireland when working. I also feel that I improved my communication skills due to the mild language barrier that there was between me and other members of the public. The main thing I think I took away from this trip was a better understanding of how to deal with and communicate with people of different nationalities.
Eoghan Crowe - Security Services
During my trip I really enjoyed living abroad and learning about a new culture. We actually got to see how in-house security and larger security companies work in Finland. We completed a lot of tasks that relate to the private security industry both here in Ireland and in Finland. While in Finland I learned how to properly search somebody and how to be firm but polite while working in security. My key experiences were working with the people, this really improved my interpersonal skills while abroad. I also experienced how well security is run in another country and how much respect people have for security personnel in Finland. Overall a great experience.