Security Industry Association and SecuritySpecifiers Announce New CONSULT Scholarship, Open Call for Applications

This new program from SIA and SecuritySpecifiers will provide emerging leaders with financial assistance to attend CONSULT 2025.

SILVER SPRING, Md. – The Security Industry Association (SIA) and SecuritySpecifiers are proud to announce a new scholarship program for rising security consultants, designers and specifiers. The CONSULT Scholarship program, presented by SIA and SecuritySpecifiers with the direct financial support of Gallagher Security, Hanwha Vision, Windy City Wire and more companies to be named, will offer three scholarships in 2025 for recipients to use to attend CONSULT, the security industry’s only event for technical security design consultants, taking place Oct. 3-6 in Denver, Colorado.

“I applaud SIA’s efforts in working with SecuritySpecifiers to recognize, develop and educate younger security designers and consultants,” said Ray Coulombe, founder and managing director of SecuritySpecifiers. “By co-sponsoring this scholarship for the CONSULT Technical Security Symposium, several outstanding young professionals will have the opportunity to get a broader view of their profession and the industry in general.”

“SIA has led the industry in recognizing young professionals, through programs like our RISE community and our AcceleRISE conference. We’re also strongly committed to attracting the next generation of talent to the entire security industry,” said Geoff Kohl, senior director of marketing at SIA. “We’re proud to expand this commitment to furthering the careers of young professionals with the SIA-SecuritySpecifiers Scholarship to CONSULT, which has long been established as the annual peer-to-peer gathering for technical security specifiers.”

SIA and SecuritySpecifiers created the CONSULT Scholarship as part of their shared dedication to growing the next generation of security leaders; broader mission to attract, develop and retain a talented workforce that ensures the long-term success of our industry; and belief that attracting and retaining young talent in the areas of security system design and specifying is vital to delivering technology systems that keep people, businesses, assets and critical infrastructure safe.

The CONSULT Scholarship program will award three scholarships in 2025. The inaugural class of awardees will each receive a full ticket to CONSULT 2025 (valued at $800); access to all sessions, meals and events in the symposium program; a one-on-one mentorship-focused meeting with the architecture and engineering (A&E)/consulting program leaders from the scholarship program sponsors; dinner during the conference with one of the scholarship sponsors; and an invitation to participate in SIA RISE, a community designed to help emerging security industry leaders grow.

CONSULT is the only noncaptive venue exclusively devoted to specifiers of electronic and physical security. The event has been developed specifically for technical security consultants. From cyber security to spec writing and design issues, the environment that security consultants and engineers face is constantly evolving. The design challenges are shared. CONSULT attendees have the opportunity to stay current on critical issues, improve their design skills, write better specifications, expand their professional networks, earn education credits, network, learn and more.

To be eligible for the CONSULT Scholarship, an applicant must be age 35 or younger at the time of CONSULT 2025, must be engaged in security design or consulting full-time at a security consulting or A&E firm and must have worked in the security industry for at least 12 months. Preference will be given to applicants from SIA member firms. More eligibility information and application details can be found here.

SIA and SecuritySpecifiers thank the scholarship sponsors at Gallagher Security, Hanwha Vision and Windy City Wire for their generous financial support of this scholarship offering and for their commitment to the world of consulting and specifying and supporting the future leaders in this area. (Interested in supporting the program and funding a scholarship? Contact us.)

Applications for the 2025 CONSULT Scholarship must be submitted by Friday, July 25. Learn more and apply here.

About SIA

SIA is the leading trade association for global security solution providers, with over 1,600 innovative member companies representing thousands of security leaders and experts who shape the future of the security industry. SIA protects and advances its members’ interests by advocating pro-industry policies and legislation at the federal and state levels, creating open industry standards that enable integration, advancing industry professionalism through education and training, opening global market opportunities and collaborating with other like-minded organizations. As the premier sponsor of ISC Events expos and conferences, SIA ensures its members have access to top-level buyers and influencers, as well as unparalleled learning and network opportunities. SIA also enhances the position of its members in the security marketplace through SIA GovSummit, which brings together private industry with government decision makers, and Securing New Ground, the security industry’s top executive conference for peer-to-peer networking.

About SecuritySpecifiers

SecuritySpecifiers is an online community and network of security professionals established to address the need for the physical security industry to more effectively engage with designers and consultants. SecuritySpecifiers.com is the authoritative resource for those who seek to identify designers, consultants and specifiers of physical security systems for purposes of sharing company information, gaining enhanced visibility or initiating an engagement. The site provides access to the most extensive worldwide list of security consultants and engineering firms with a security practice, searchable by geography and market sector, and contains an extensive directory of security manufacturer, searchable by over 100 different product categories.