APL availability for previous courses/experience?

sorcerer

Hi... Can anyone help with this? My aim is to obtain my SIA CP License within the next year or so. I am in the final stages of obtaining my Door Supervision License and expect that in the next few weeks, having competed my training in July and submitted my application over 6 weeks ago!

I cannot currently afford a CP training course so figured if I obtain my Door Supervision Licence I can work and save for this over the next year.

I'm wondering if there are any CP courses out there that offer a reduction in the training modules and thus possibly a reduction in the costs?


Other than my SIA Door Supervision Licence and excellent interpersonal skills I served with 10 Para 1987-1989, after passing out with the Regs at Depot Para, Aldershot, before transferring.

I am a Registered Mental Nurse and have worked in secure and semi-secure environments over the past 15 years or so and have an Honours Degree in Health Studies. I resigned from nursing as a Charge Nurse in 2005.

I have the NHS Control and Restraint Cert , The SITO / MAYBO Physical Intervention Trainer Programme Cert ( 5 day residential 2004) , MAYBO Conflict Management Course Cert 2005, in 2004 I completed the 15 Day Basic Recruit Course for the RAF (Aux) at RAF Honnington, including weapons training, first aid etc.

Although this is a brief outline my intentions are only to seek advice from anyone who may recognise my experience and qualifications may make a good CPO and point me in the right direction at this early stage?

Thanks in Advance.

steve

APL availability for previous courses / experience?

CPO445

Hello mate I see you have been Para Regt so might be worth speaking to the guy that runs the the following company and courses. He was Para Regt has a course coming up and would point you in the right direction I reckon, goes by JR199 on here Welcome to DSG Consultants - Close Protection, Residential Security and Event Management

littlewoman

The DS training won't give you any exemption from any part of the CP training. The physical intervention training won't because there is no PI on the SIA course (although some companies might put it in as additional). The Conflict resolution bit might get you an exemption, try asking MAYBO.
If your First Aid is First Aid at work or First Person on Scene then you do need that to pass your CP course but most trainers do this as an extra anyway.

Are you in full time work at the moment? If not then you should be able to get work at festivals this year. They will appreciate you military experience (as you'll be sleeping in a tent and spending 12 hours plus working every day - if its anything like last year it will rain most of the time), they will also appreciate you're extra medical experience and qualifications. As there's up to 5 months of work available working most days you can get a fair bit of money in a short space of time.

sorcerer

thanks again for your feedback..I'm getting mixed messages about the possibility of APEL for my personal experiences and qualifications..non-the-less, I guess it will be this year some time before I chose a training provider and crack on with it.....

nmc

Sorcerer

Unfortunately mate you will not be able to the APL Course - the SIA's website should provide all the int you need on that one. Just be aware that if a training provider accepts candidates on an APL Course when they are not qualified (and you/they get found out) then it is extremely likely that you will loose your license (£££) and the training company concerned a lot more.

Tread carefully.

sorcerer

point taken but I guess that's the reason company's do such stringent security checks themselves, to ensure that potential employees have the status they say they have....it seems that every other government department or indeed the private, voluntary and independent sectors all offer APL accreditation for relevant experiences and quals, maybe this is a bit to soon for the SIA / Security Industry? , I can forsee in its development over the next few years that people in the security industry will be repeating courses and parts of courses over and over in order to progress, which is timely and costly and often unnecessary, hence the introduction of APL some years ago into the employment and training market! I was considering contacting the SIA for advice but I have unfortuanatly found the delay in getting them to answer the phone infuriating! Might put it writing or e-mail I guess....

thanks again for your time and feedback everyone

sorcerer

littlewoman

You'll wait 3 weeks for a reply that will only quote a vaguely related bit of their web page.
If you contact a company that runs the CP course but doesn't do the first aid cert then they will have no vested interest in telling you if you need to do the first aid bit. Clearwater don't do the first aid bit on their course (as far as I know) and they are a user on here so message them.
As I said, ask Maybo about if your conflict resolution training will get you any exemptions.

nmc

All

From the horses mouth...as it were.

There are no QCA/ACCAC/QAA approved qualifications that can be considered as exemptions for the core competence training and assessment. Arrangements for exemptions and Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL) are as follows:

1. Close Protection operatives who have previously received formal close protection training and are currently employed in an operational close protection role should present themselves to an approved Training Centre with evidence of the training they have received. Depending on the date and content of the training they have taken and to what extent the training covered the learning objectives of the new Close Protection course for licensing, they will be directed to take either the full 150 hours full Close Protection Course or the 24 hour Guided Learning Hours Refresher Course.

2. Candidates who have completed formal close protection training from the organisations listed below and have remained in an operational close protection role, will be exempt from further training but will be required to take the knowledge test and a practical skills assessment.
* Special Air Service regiment Body Guard Course
* Royal Military Police Close Protection Course
* Metropolitan Police Royalty Protection/Special Branch Close Protection Course
* Police National Close Protection Courses including Northern Ireland
* Nemesis Group Close Protection Course
* Phoenix Close Protection Course

Please note: It is important to ensure that training remains current. Therefore, qualifications allowing exemption from the SIA approved training must be no more than three years old, except where otherwise stated.

It is strongly recommended that candidates who present themselves for assessment only should consider attending a 24 hour Refresher Course. Those who have trained in either a police or military environment may find the terminology and procedures to be different in a civilian context and this would give them the best opportunity of passing the assessment.

sorcerer

thanks nmc for that info...that pretty much clears it up!... I think what your saying is...that if you've done the Close Protection Course then your exempt from doing the Close Protection Course!!!!.....guess we can put this one to rest now!?....!!

nmc

Sorcerer

Its a shite sytem - full stop. No thought has looked in to it what so ever....as with so much else that the SIA have got their hands on. I have my opinions on how it should run but the SIA has sooooo many other problem areas that i doubt they will look at this one any time soon.

We have put so few people through the APL because so few meet the requirements as laid down by them - if we as a training provider 'let someone through' we'd be doing the rest of the 'qualified' people out there a serious injustice. Having said that it could be easily incorporate other relevant 'units' from other training courses already undertaken - there being 5 units to the CP Course - as this would cut down the costs for those without a license to qualify.

Off my soap box now!

Roll on a better, fairer system....answers on a post card to the SIA


Best of luck to you Sorcerer