Training providers have known that this has been coming for sometime. With the changes to the Close Protection course implemented in the first part of 2022, it was inevitable that some form of ‘bridge’ would have to be formed to ensure those that had qualified previously still had the ability to work as Close Protection Officers. Top-up training stuttered in to being
What has changed?
The new course content is designed to allow Close Protection Officers to safely work in areas that would previously have been the domain of those qualified as Door Supervisors – the term often banded about during the webinars hosted by the SIA was license integration. The theory behind it sounds reasonable but so far, the feedback that we have had from students attending our Close Protection Top-Up training courses has been very much along the lines that if they wanted to work as a Door Supervisor, they would attend that course and become qualified. We can understand the frustration voiced by many but we can also appreciate the need for changes to be made to course programmes that have become ‘too mature’ – there is a need to ensure that they are current and fit for purpose as courses that are not relevant are irrelevant!
We have always included physical intervention and law and legislation in our Close Protection training course even though it was not a requirement, simply to add more ‘depth’ to the training. We also did this because we always felt that they were important elements that CPOs should be aware of. In the same way, we have always allocated more time to surveillance than is officially allocated. We have always incorporated these additional elements by increasing the duration of the course and this has always been well received by our students.
Feedback
We are getting a raft of feedback from those that either enquire and/or attend the Close Protection Top-Up training ranging from:
Enquiries
- why do I have to do this?
- is this actually a thing? Do I have to do it?
- I have run out – are you doing a course next week by any chance?
- can I just pay you to do the course and not attend?
Attendees
- this is ridiculous – it simply isn’t fit for purpose
- it is what it is … let’s just get it over and done with
- I booked on with such and such provider but they cancelled twice due to low numbers
We have also had discussions with a number of colleagues working in complex environments who are stating that their companies are no longer asking for the SIA CP licence as part of their contractual requirements due to the changes to the qualification. An SIA CP licence only applies to those working in a role in the UK but it has long been adopted by UK owned/manged companies working in complex environments as a ‘required qualification’, much like a certain level of first aid or driving is often required for contractual fulfilment.
Impact on the industry
So far, the changes to the ‘new’ qualification has been a downturn in course attendees. The uptake on the the top-up courses has been steady without being ground-breaking. In terms of the overall impact that this will have on the industry, it is to soon to say but it could be argued that:
- the number of SIA CP licence holders will reduce significantly as people, particularly those mature to the industry or those working overseas where there is no requirement for an SIA licence decide against topping up
- some training providers will disappear due to the general downturn in numbers
- training will be taken on by colleges of further education rather than by specialist training companies and may well be delivered by educationalist rather than those experienced in ‘doing’
Course Delivery
It took us quite sometime to get in a position where we were able to deliver both the ‘new’ CP course and the top-up course. The increased demands placed on training organisations was both time consuming and costly. The duration of the course has now increased to a minimum of 18 days (we are at 20) but this also has a financial impact on those wishing to take the course, not to mention the increased time away from home.
When it comes to delivery, you cannot run on the bear bones – you always have to aim off for the ‘what happens if’ scenario so we, as a business, had to ensure that we were robust enough to deliver the courses regardless of the personal circumstances of our trainers. Those attending courses give up valuable time and incur not insignificant costs to ensure that they remain in date so it would wrong of us to have to cancel because of centre inefficiencies.
Course Dates
Our next course dates for Close Protection Top-Up training are:
- May 18-22
- June 10-14
- July 20-24
- August 19-23
