SPOTLIGHT INSTITUTIONAL Take the AIL Survey Help AIL with information about institution staffing levels. By John Truempy, ICML, CRL, CMIL, IFDI as a whole — had a very good convention in Las Vegas, and it was a true pleasure to talk to so many of my division members. As I reported last time, our membership numbers have re- A mained fairly steady. Since almost all our members were con- sidered essential workers through the pandemic, AIL members were less affected than some other sectors of the industry, and that trend is still holding true. Even though ALOA and all its divisions were on limited budgets, our division was still able to continue to provide new electives for the Institutional Proficiency Registration Program (IPRP), and our Life Safety and Fire Door Inspector (LSFDI) certification continued to grow. And, thanks to AIL trustee Vernon Kelley, we were even able to run a sitting of the LSFDI test for the lowest per-student cost ever. We expect to continue developing even more programs in the future with more IPRP electives catered to in-house lock- smiths. Additional stand-alone certifications, like the LSFDI, are being considered and reviewed to determine if they would be a benefit to our members. Concerning Trends Now, even though I am very glad to report that the division is doing very well, I have been seeing some trends in the insti- tutional market that are concerning. More institutions have been contacting ALOA and AIL for leads for qualified work- ers. Rather than just refer them to our employment portal, findalocksmith.com or Keynotes magazine, I forward them 12 KEYNOTES OCTOBER 2022 s I do each year, I am reporting to the membership of ALOA Institutional Lock- smiths (AIL) on the state of the division. At this time, I am glad to report the division is doing very well. The division — and ALOA to AIL members I know in the area. The replies I oſten receive are, “If I knew that someone was available, I would’ve hired them myself!” Lack of qualified applicants is a nationwide problem for many facilities right now. My concern is that institutions might deal with the issue by hiring unqualified workers or not fully staffing their own lock shops. So, as we’ve done in the past, the division will be sending out surveys to our members. But this time — instead of focusing on how the market is segmented among facilities — we’ll be focusing on what is considered proper staffing levels for facilities in specific industries. This information will help us create staffing benchmarks within each industry represented by our members. This information will only be available to AIL members and the ALOA Mem- bership committee. So, again, I need your help. When you get the survey from AIL, please take a few moments to complete it. I know we all get lots of surveys, but this one could help fellow AIL mem- bers — and possibly each of us — survive the new normal. John Truempy, ICML, CRL, CMIL, IFDI, is employed at the University of Pennsylvania, where he’s been a locksmith for more than 21 years. Prior to that, he spent a few years as a commercial locksmith and worked for the State of New Jersey at Trenton State Psychiatric Hospital. As the first president of ALOA Institutional Locksmiths (AIL), the ALOA SPAI division, he has over 15 years of association management experience. He has written many books focusing on both practical and esoteric applications for master key systems, including Advanced Master Keying Skills and Master Key System Specification, Application & Management. He also teaches both fundamental and advanced locksmith subjects. WWW.ALOA.ORG
