PROSEC Consultancy Ltd is a Wiltshire based Operational Security, Investigations and
Training Provision Company, that have been established since 2004 providing security staff
to some of Europe’s largest festivals and outdoor events.
To date, we have trained some 2000 + learners in a number of SIA and other Security
related programmes and have over this period of time put together a number of common
mistakes potential learners are making when trying to decide where to be trained.
Whether you are looking for a career in the Security industry or would just like to work part
time, if you are working as a Security Operative in any capacity you will need to hold a
Security Industry Authority (SIA) License in order to work legally.
Of course, we all make mistakes in life, who doesn’t? but by helping you, the learner avoid
these common mistakes that we see time and time again you can avoid the stress of
booking your course and will ultimately save you time and more importantly help you save
money. Hopefully this brochure will also help you find employment within the Security
Industry.
So what are these 10 common mistakes?
Common mistake 1:
Attending a security course that has not been
accredited;
PROSEC, since 2004, have spoken to upwards of 20 plus learners on our courses who have
paid for, attended and passed previous security courses with other company’s and only
when they applied for their SIA license did they find out that the course they attended was
not accredited and their license would not be granted.
These candidates had paid between £150.00 - £250.00 course costs, some with
accommodation charges on top and as a result had lost this hard earned money and also
potentially their licence application fee of £220.00.
Also be aware of training providers, and there are some who are large National companies
that claim to have “SIA Accredited Training”……there is no such thing !...........the SIA clearly
states “The SIA does not approve or vet training providers directly”
So how do you avoid such a costly mistake?
Training providers who deliver these SIA qualifications must be registered with an Awarding
Body or Awarding Organisation. These would normally be advertised on the training
provider’s website or promotional literature. If you are unsure you can always ask the
provider which Awarding Body they are registered with, but ALWAYS check they are
accredited.
As part of the criteria for a training provider to be accredited with one of these organisations
they will have undergone inspections to ensure their training, trainers and establishment
meets the required standard to be able to deliver the qualifications they offer
There are a number of awarding bodies including:
PROSEC have been accredited and can deliver their SIA qualifications through Highfield
Awarding Body, Edexcel and Industry Qualifications (The top three above), and as such
have passed inspections against all three awarding bodies criteria, so you can be sure of the
quality and credibility of these courses.
Note: Training providers do not HAVE to be accredited to deliver Security Courses and can
offer what they will call ‘Bespoke’ courses, which, although may be useful WILL NOT allow
candidates to apply for their SIA License.
Common Mistake 2: Training ONLY Providers
Here at PROSEC we very often get newly licensed individuals who are looking to work
alongside us, especially during the summer season when we provide staffing for some of
Europe’s largest festivals and our staffing levels rise considerably. These operatives may not
have any experience at all working within the industry and have merely completed their SIA
training and applied for their license.
Common mistake number 2 is that these operatives may have chosen a training provider
that deliver the Security courses with a trainer has no operational experience in the subject
they are teaching in.
Training providers MUST prove to their awarding body that the
trainers of SIA security courses have a minimum of 3 years’
experience in the last 10 in the subject they deliver.
Increasingly however we come across SIA Licensed
operatives who have been qualified and taught by training
providers with no security experience at all. Their training
package has been delivered by a tutor who has taught from
the hand-outs or course literature and cannot enhance the
training by providing real life examples of the subjects being
taught.
For example, some Door Supervisors and Security Guards may have been shown how to
search on a PowerPoint presentation and some may have not been taught how to search at
all !
Although no one passes their SIA course and immediately becomes experienced, these
individuals are being put into potential harmful situations having not received the correct
training.
How to avoid Common Mistake 2
Check that your proposed training provider has operational experience in the subject area
they are teaching.
This is not a failsafe method of choosing the provider however, as there are some very good
training companies out there that only provide training and, as a company are not
operational.
Colleges, for example are none operational but do provide some very good security courses
as sometimes they employ highly experienced trainers or even enter into a partnership with
a security company who provides the training for them.
Conversely there are some Security companies who are operational who would be
considered by many to be poor training providers.
Check out the providers reviews, or ask Door Supervisors / Security Guards / Security Staff
out working the circuit who they were trained by and if they would or could recommend a
good provider to you. Remember company website are there to tell you what you want to
hear and draw you in using marketing techniques.
Don’t be fooled by glossy advertising and a great looking website if it offers no reviews of
previous candidates. Why would you train with a company who has no idea about the
subject they are teaching ?
Common mistake 3: No Course preparation.
Over the last few years costs for accredited SIA training courses have dropped dramatically
and have now become more affordable to most people.
Although the prices have dropped the content of the course has increased and as of
December 2012 all SIA Door Supervisors courses now MUST be delivered over 4 days to
ensure this content is included without over burdening the students.
There are now assessments for each module, for example the Door Supervisors course is
taught over 4 days and has 4 assessments, one at the end of each day.
Increasingly, possibly due to the drop in prices on these courses, we see individuals who
have not prepared themselves correctly for the training they are about to receive and having
not even read the joining instructions for the course detailing its content and any pre
requisites.
Some learners arrive on a security course directly from having worked into the early hours of
the morning previous and arrive already tired !
With the introduction of the Physical Intervention module you will need to be physically fit to
attend the course and again we have in the past had individuals who have tried to book on
the course with a broken arm !
The training provider should provide you with
material which will indicate how many days your
course will be, what hours you are likely to be
working and what the course agenda will include.
How do I avoid being unprepared?
PROSEC advice is to try to book your course as
early as possible in order that you have as much
time as possible to prepare.
By trying to arrange to have as little as possible
to do outside of attending the course will give you
more time to focus on the course and the
assessments. We understand that this is not always possible, but by booking early it will give
you more time to prepare yourself and clear any outside appointments or commitments you
may have.
PROSEC SIA Security Courses have always been conducted over a minimum of 4 days
giving the learner the best chance to take in the course content for the purpose of
employment and examination.
The course does require you to be in reasonable physical condition. You do not have to be a
paragon of fitness, but you will be required to have the physical capability to undertake the
activity. Therefore, if you do have any physical impairment which you feel may compromise
your ability to undertake the course please seek the advice of a medical professional before
attending.
Once you have booked on the course we will provide you with:
1. A course information brochure which details the course content and duration
including what subjects will be covered throughout the day.
2. A complete and comprehensive set of joining instructions which include any pre
requisites, what you need to wear, what Identification you are required to provide
during the course and when and specific information about the venue ie parking
facilities, food and drink facilities etc.
Common mistake 4: Attending a course with too many
delegates
Although this mistake is a little more complex to investigate and cannot actually be checked
until the candidate arrives on the course, it is, none the less, VITALLY important to check.
The Security Industry Authority (SIA) stipulates, as do ALL awarding bodies that the training
ratio for students to qualified trainers should not exceed 12:1 on the Door Supervisors
Physical Intervention course. Therefore for every 12 students attending there should be a
minimum of 1 qualified trainer to deliver the course.
At the end of 2012 the SIA investigated an allegation of training malpractice in which 1,001
certificates that were awarded to candidates were withdrawn.
Of these 1,001 certificates, 654 had already been used to obtain licenses which caused the
SIA to write to the license holders explaining they had a 28 day period to gain a ‘Valid
qualification’ or their license would be revoked.
How to avoid receiving such a letter from the SIA ?
Assuming you have checked that your provider is accredited with one of the awarding bodies
above you should be already half way there as all providers
who are accredited DO know the correct ratios to be used.
When you arrive on the course check how many other
candidates are attending the course and how many trainers
are present whilst the training takes place, not just ‘on site’
but actually attending the training.
If there are more than 12 candidates on the course and
only 1 trainer then question the trainer and or training provider about this ratio.
One of our awarding bodies, HABC’s course specification including the student ratio can be
found here:
http://www.highfieldabc.com/Assets/Files/Qual_Specification_Level_2_Award_in_Door_Sup
ervision.pdf
Common Mistake 5: Not knowing how to obtain a
license.
If you attending an SIA Security course then it normally follows that after undertaking the
training you will apply for your SIA licence.
We have however noticed that some learners who have been trained by other companies
are not aware of how to apply for their SIA license and in some cases don’t even know how
or where to obtain the application form from. The SIA licencing statistics back this up as it
shows that a substantial number of learners have the qualification and never go on to gain
their licence.
This mistake is likely to cost you money if you have paid for your training, you are qualified
but not obtained your license you cannot work in the industry and therefore have paid for a
training qualification that is not bringing any income back to you.
How to avoid this mistake.
The simple answer is, ask your provider !
The training provider you have chosen should be able to answer all of your questions
regarding the application process and how to fill in the form when it arrives. This SHOULD
be a FREE service as PROSEC deem this as part of the course ‘Follow up’ for delegates.
PROSEC Courses all include a training session that explains how to apply for your license,
who to contact and where you obtain your application pack from.
Our joining instructions include details of how to obtain your application pack before you
even attend the course and if candidates arrive without having already applied for the
application form we hold a stock for you.
You can apply for an application pack for any SIA license here:
https://portal.thesia.org.uk/Web/start.swe?SWECmd=GotoView&_sn=ei0W0ABS2zb98VbcI22y7mWw3jpNPsXF4AhPEYcpss_&SWEView=LDL+eService+Send+Application+View&SWEH
o=portal.the-sia.org.uk&SWETS=1359645068
When the application pack arrives it will include a booklet called “How to fill in your SIA
license application form”. This can also be viewed and downloaded online by clicking the
link.
You can even now apply online by completing the SIA’s ‘EFill’ form
Common Mistake 6: Incorrect Documentation for your
course and application.
Much time is wasted by applicants, not familiar with the licensing procedure, and arriving on
courses with incorrect documentation and / or sending off incorrect documentation to the SIA
when applying for their license.
This can be a problem as you MUST provide the required ID documentation in order to sit
the assessments on your SIA training Course and without the correct identification it is
impossible for you to proceed on the course.
The learner would have to withdraw from the course and valuable time would be lost.
Training providers will also often take a non-refundable deposit/fee for the course which you
could potentially loose if you are unable to provide the correct identification.
Some learners who attend the course with all of the correct ID then subsequently complete
the application for their license and send off incorrect or insufficient ID to the SIA. This
results in the SIA sending out a letter informing you of the mistake and increases the time
between application and approval for your license……all time wasted when you could be
earning money with your license.
How to avoid this mistake:
Here, we refer back to the ‘Preparation for the course’ mistake and booking your course as
early as possible in order to receive all the information in good time for you to prepare prior
to attending.
At PROSEC you will be provided with a full and comprehensive set of joining instructions
which will inform you of what identification you are required to bring on the course and what
you will need to send away to the SIA with your application pack.
Check with your provider if they are willing to assist you in completing the application pack
after the course in order for you to get it right first time. This again is a service provided by us
here at PROSEC and again this is a FREE service. Be aware however, some providers
charge for the privilege ! Check at the time of booking.
Common Mistake 7: Leaving it too long before applying
for your license.
A common misconception is that you will obtain your SIA license immediately after attending
the training course and some learners are unaware that there is an application process and
associated cost (Currently £220.00) for obtaining the actual license card itself.
Licensing is required for the following:
Close Protection officer
Door Supervisor
Security Guard
CCTV Operator
Cash and Valuables in transit
All of these after successfully passing their relevant training will have up to 3 years from the
date of their certification to apply for their license after which time the SIA may require further
and or the complete training package to be re taken.
Knowing that, it is hard to believe that there are learners who do not apply for a licence after
gaining their qualification and their qualification has subsequently expired…………… but
there are !
How to avoid this mistake.
Apply for your SIA licence as soon as possible is the
simple answer.
You have 3 years to apply for your SIA licence, and you
must ensure you apply within that period.
Common Mistake 8: Waiting for
certification before applying for your license
After completing your accredited security qualification, obtaining your application form and
completing it correctly you are now ready to apply for your SIA licence.
The next common mistake is waiting for your training provider to send through your
certificates in order to send off your application pack.
This is a costly mistake and can potentially lose you earnings whilst waiting for up to 3
weeks for your certificates to arrive through the post
How to avoid this mistake.
Simples!
YOU DO NOT HAVE TO WAIT FOR CERTIFICATION TO APPLY FOR YOUR LICENSE.
We have come across a number of individuals who have lost potential earnings and in some
cases jobs because they have taken too long to obtain their SIA License.
You should be told by your training provider when you will be informed if you have been
successful on the course or not. Remember the training provider does not mark your
assessments; they are sealed in an envelope by the invigilator and sent off to the awarding
body for marking.
Training providers will normally have your results within a maximum of 10 working days and
some awarding bodies are now turning results around within 5
working days.
As soon as the results arrive with the provider and they let you
know you have passed all of the relevant modules you can
complete your application pack and send off for your license
BEFORE your certificate arrives.
Here at PROSEC we will remind you of this during your course
and aim to contact you with your results within 5 working days of
the end of the course, again reminding you that you are now free
to apply for your license.
Certificates are then dispatched by the awarding body to the
provider and sent out from them, which means you could be
waiting 2-3 weeks for your certificates, wasting up to 3 weeks of work if you have not applied
for your license.
Common Mistake 9: Training with a provider who
‘Guarantees work’
Be wary of training providers who guarantee you work once you are qualified and find out
what employment it will be before you attend. Some may give you work, the majority don’t !
Another ‘ploy’ may be to offer you ‘assistance’ in finding a job within the industry. Remember
once they have taken your money and trained you, this ‘assistance’ could be sending you a
newsletter every month, or simply forwarding jobs on a group email from the local jobsite, all
something you could actually do yourself with a computer and internet connection.
If you think logically about this ploy, why would any employer offer a complete stranger a job
based on a course application with no CV, no interview and in most cases not even meeting
you ?
This is especially true in the Surveillance and Close Protection Industries where competition
is fierce and experience is King. It is not very often you will see a job vacancy posted
anywhere that is asking for a Close Protection Operative or Surveillance Operative with no
experience required.
Some training providers may try to ‘draw you in’ with the lure of employment afterwards, but
they don’t actually state what the job, if any, will entail, and as long as they have offered you
‘something’ they have fulfilled their obligation
and taken your course money.
How to avoid this.
If you are looking to change careers and / or
become trained in the Security industry check
out the job market in your area, what job
vacancies are available, how much they are
paying and what the criteria is for getting the
job.
If a training provider guarantees you work at
the end of the course find out what it will be and for how long etc before making the decision
to train with them.
Again we refer to the common mistake of training with a non-operational security company
who may not have employment to offer in the first place.
PROSEC is an operational Security and Investigations company that provide staff for some
of Europe’s largest festivals and outdoor events and provide surveillance staff for
investigations work. But we do not ‘Guarantee’ anyone who trains with us employment at the
end of the course. We use our security training courses as a ‘long interview’ process
whereby our operationally experienced trainers can see from your course performance if you
are likely to fit in with what we do and if we should offer you any available employment once
you are licensed.
Common Mistake 10: Training with a provider JUST
because it’s the cheapest you can find.
The SIA Security industry training market involves much competition and price dropping,
sometimes to almost none profitable levels purely to draw in numbers of candidates to
improve takings.
Whilst this is good for potential students who can now afford to shop around and select a
course which is within their price range it should be approached with some caution.
Trainers of any guise charge for their time and training experience, the more experience and
better the quality the more they are likely to request, and although they must ‘bend with the
current flow’ and charge less for their time, if a course appears to be really cheap compared
to others, you should ask yourself….”why is this ?”.
The Security Industry is one industry where you can ill afford to be poorly trained and badly
prepared for situations that may arise. And the old adage of ‘You get what you pay for’ still
exists.
How to avoid being taken for a ride.
There are some large nationally available training provision companies out
there who are offering, what appears on the outside to be a really cheap
way of obtaining your license and in some cases, due to the
volume of candidates they process through their ‘production
line’ are offering courses much less than other providers in
the area.
As
discussed, approach these with caution, check they are
accredited
and check out other students who have attended their courses
and what reviews
of the training they can provide. We are sure the 1,001 students
who had their certificates removed after allegations of training malpractice are now not so
happy about how cheap their course was originally, especially if they have had to pay for the
course again.
To compensate for their alleged mistake one of these national providers is now offering ‘free’
training to anyone who was caught up in this debacle and that was trained via them and
consequently lost their certification or license. You will however notice in their new clever
marketing campaign which looks good on the outside there is no mention of compensating
these students for any time off work, transport costs, accommodation, food and any other
associated charges they had to pay out on their original training.
If it’s cheap, by all means look at it and investigate, who wouldn’t………. but ask yourself
“Why is it that cheap?”.
If all you want is a badge and you’re really not bothered what the training consists of, then go
for it, but please don’t always expect to be working for a reputable company in an
established capacity any time soon.
We actively seek and encourage student feedback from all of our courses as part of our
quality management system and are currently rated by freeindex as the 2nd best training
provider in the UK from some 6000+ other providers. Just some of our previous candidates
comments can be found here:
http://www.freeindex.co.uk/profile(prosec-consultancy-ltd)_345127.htm
In conclusion, we hope that this document has proved useful, informative and has given you
some helpful tips on how to choose your security training provider.
Our staff are always on hand to give help and advice to anyone who requires it and please
feel free to contact us to discuss any training issues you may have.
All of our courses, dates and prices are available on line at:
http://www.prosec-ltd.com/Courses
We wish you all every success with your career in the Security Industry.
PROSEC Consultancy Ltd
Training Department
Quality Assured ISO 9001 & 14001 Registered Company
10, Oakfield Business Centre
Westbury
Wiltshire
BA13 4WF
01373 228055
Visit our website
www.prosec-ltd.com
Or call one of our advisers who
are always on hand to give advice