Hiring Qualified Candidates in the Defence Space
August 21, 2018
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The single biggest hurdle when it comes to hiring in the defence space is security. Companies with contracts linked to national defence need to bring on candidates who can pass security clearance measures. This can take time and cause issues. One easy way to speed up the process is to work with an agency that will not only find the right candidate, but one that can get them through the clearance process quickly.
David Aplin Group holds NATO Secret status to deploy staff with clearances up to this classified level, and is registered through the federal government of Canada, through the Controlled Goods Program. This gives Aplin the unique ability to prequalify and present candidates to companies tied to national defence and NATO partners, such as aerospace, military contractors, communications, and transportation.
Current opportunity in Canadian national defence
In 2017, the Liberal government announced new military spending to the tune of $62 billion dollars, over the next twenty years. That spend includes hardware in the form of new fighter jets and warships, as well as increases in personnel within the Canadian Armed Forces. This represents an increase in spending of Canada’s total economic output to 1.4%, from 1.19%. By comparison, the United States spends 3.5% of GDP on their military. For defence contractors on this side of the border, however, this increase is a golden opportunity.
The ins and outs of security standards
Depending on the role, individuals who want to work for the federal government, or for a company that holds or supports a federal government contract, need some level of security clearance, which is usually provided by Public Works and the Government of Canada.
The clearance process requires an application, criminal background check, history and qualifications check, fingerprinting and possibly even a credit check. These time-consuming processes can take anywhere from two weeks to six months to finalize.
Levels of classification range from ‘enhanced reliability’, which is an individual who will need access to protected information, all the way to ‘NATO Secret’, which is an individual who will need access to classified information and assets in relation to NATO contract partners.
Related to these levels of classification are two further security standards: the Controlled Goods Program (CGP) and the Joint Certification Program. The CGP exists to determine the extent to which an individual poses a risk of transferring a controlled good, including but not limited to technical data and hardware that have military or national security significance. The Joint Certification Program certifies contractors who need access to military critical technical data here in Canada and in the US. This program permits the flow of data between certified companies in the two countries, while continuing to protect technical data and technology and, ultimately, national military interests.
How an agency with security clearance can speed up the hiring process
An agency with NATO Secret clearance—as David Aplin Group has—is permitted to clear contract personnel right up to the classified level (NATO Secret). This can help speed up the process significantly, particularly in the cases of a transfer or duplicate applications.
These security assessments are performed for any contractor who is going to work for a company that will have access to look at and potentially transfer controlled goods. By having the ability and clearance to do so, Aplin removes this burden from the companies looking to hire and speeds up the process:
- Removing the administrative effort and investment required to obtain security clearance for contractors.
- Reducing timelines to obtain security clearance significantly, ensuring that the right candidate isn’t lost because of delayed applications.
Aplin is registered through the federal government of Canada, with NATO secret status, to the Controlled Goods Program, which allows us to send staff in roles to companies tied to national defence and NATO partners, including aerospace, military contractors, communications, and transportation.
With less than 15% of staffing agencies registered under the CGP, David Aplin Group is positioned to help your organization find qualified candidates quickly and securely.
