New scholarship aims to build next generation of security consultants

CHESHIRE, Conn.—Ray Coulombe sees the new CONSULT Scholarship program as an opportunity to further develop and retain a younger group of security consultants, designers and specifiers.  

The scholarship program, in partnership with the Security Industry Association (SIA), will offer three rising professionals the opportunity to attend CONSULT, an event that attracts a couple hundred attendees each year, for free. 

“We haven't had that many younger consultants because they're not the senior people; they're just coming up to the ranks,” said Coulombe, founder and managing director of SecuritySpecifiers. “We wanted to add a younger component.” 

This year’s CONSULT takes place Oct. 3-6 at the Hyatt Regency Denver Downtown. 

Geoff Kohl, senior director of marketing at SIA and a member of the CONSULT Advisory Board, proposed the scholarship at last year’s CONSULT board meeting. He pointed to SIA’s broader efforts to attract and retain security talent through initiatives like the Foundation for Advancing Security Talent (FAST), National Security Technician Day, and the RISE community. 

“We recognize that there are a lot of other industries that they get attracted to and that they're aware of, and this is one other area where we saw that we need to not only attract young talent but also retain them,” he explained.  

Kohl noted that SIA includes several consulting, engineering, and architectural firms among its members. Attending CONSULT and similar events, he said, helps young professionals gain the security-specific knowledge needed to pursue careers in these firms. 

“A lot of young folks come out of a more traditional architectural or engineering background and don't yet fully know the world of security,” he said. “We believe that if they get that security knowledge and understand what a cool industry it is, they may specialize and focus on it and be more likely to contribute to the industry's future. It aligns well with all of SIA’s initiatives to grow and retain a healthy future workforce.”  

Coulombe pointed out sessions that the younger CONSULT attendees are encouraged to attend, including those dedicated to door hardware.  

“Door hardware is just a microcosm of security itself, deceptively simple from the outside and very complex when you get into it, so we've got a whole track devoted to that,” he explained. “It might seem mundane, but there's such a steep learning curve.”  

Security consulting is “not a well understood career path,” according to Coulombe, with younger talent tending to work for manufacturers and integrators.  

“The interaction with other consultants, other companies and getting a better sense of the industry in general and the opportunities that await them at CONSULT will, I think, be good,” he said.  

Applications for the 2025 CONSULT Scholarship must be submitted by Tuesday, July 15. Learn more and apply here.