How To Choose The Right Security Course

How To Choose The Right Security Course

Choosing the right security course is essential to paving the path to your career in security. Which course or courses you’ll need to do depends entirely on what you want to do in security.

Do you want to be an armed guard or do you want to screen people at the airport?

Whatever direction you want to take in security there will be a course that will help you get there. In this article we are going to show you which security courses are out there, what you can do with each of these courses and how to choose the right security course for you and your goals.

Starting from scratch

When it comes to choosing the right security course it all comes down to where you are starting from. Are you already in the industry or are you starting from scratch?

If you have never worked in security before the first course you will need to take is the Certificate II in Security Operations. This is the course you’ll need to do in order to get your security guard licence and be able to work as an unarmed security guard.

The course is delivered through an eight-day face-to-face workshop. The course schedule differs depending on the location but is usually either Monday – Friday of Week 1 and Monday – Wednesday of Week 2 or Monday – Saturday of Week 1 and Monday – Tuesday of Week 2.

The course includes all the basic training required to work as a security officer including your first aid.

The course costs $1500 but most people qualify for some government funding. This funding is called Certificate 3 Guarantee funding and to be eligible for this type of funding you must meet the following criteria:

• be aged 15 years or older;
• be no longer at school (with the exception of school students in Year 10, 11 and 12 undertaking a VET in School (VETiS) program;
• permanently reside in QLD;
• be an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident (includes humanitarian entrant), temporary resident with the necessary visa and work permits on the pathway to permanent residency, or a New Zealand citizen; and
• not hold, and not be enrolled in, a Certificate III or higher-level qualification, not including qualifications completed at school and foundation skills training.

If you are successful in gaining this funding it will bring the cost of the course down to a student co-contribution fee of $14 or $42 depending on if you hold a current concession card.

If you don’t meet the above criteria due to holding a qualification but you are currently looking for work there may be other funding you can access. Have a chat with our course advisors or with your local job access provider about your options.

This course is the first step to your career as a security officer. Everyone who works in security starts with this course.

After you complete this course and you have your licence you will be able to work as an unarmed security officer in gatehouses, roving patrol, libraries, hospitals and in many other industries.

Broadening your horizons

Unarmed security officers are needed in many different industries and so to have the best and most broad range of skillsm we also recommend you complete two additional short courses.

The RSA and the White Card

The RSA is the responsible service of alcohol and you will need to hold this certificate to work anywhere where they serve alcohol. This includes shopping centres, bars, clubs, large venues and many other industries.

The RSA is a half day in person workshop and costs $95.

The White Card is the course you require to be able to work on construction sites, and anywhere where there is construction happening. This is also important for unarmed security guards.

There is a lot of work in this industry that you will need a white card to do. The white card course is a half day in person workshop and costs $110.

At ASSET, we are all about making life easier so we do package these two courses together and you can save a little cash (and time) doing it this way.

Where to from here

Once you have completed the Certificate II in Security Operations and your RSA and White Card, there are different specialties and focuses you can have in the security industry. Now, the question becomes how to choose the right security course for your next career move.

We have outlined some of the common jobs people want to do and which course you’ll need to take to do them below.

Armed guard

Many security officers aspire to work as armed guards. Because the risk is higher the pay is higher, making it a popular career move for those climbing the ladder in this industry.

To work as an armed guard you will need to hold your Certificate II in Security Operations and then complete the Firearms and Defensive Tactics course.

This course is taught through a 6 day face-to-face workshop.

Once you have successfully completed the course and received your certificates, you can add Cash In Transit as a function to your security licence as well as applying for your Occupational Firearms Licence.

Cash in Transit Guard

Another popular and lucrative security role, the cash in transit guards are often also armed. So we would recommend if this is your ideal role you complete the Cash In Transit short course and then the Firearms and Defensive Tactics course.

Although there are unarmed Cash in Transit guards – often what we call covert cash in transit guards, it will make you much more employable if you can carry and use a firearm for this specialty area of the industry.

The Cash in Transit course is delivered in a one day, eight-hour face-to-face workshop.

Bodyguard

If you are wanting to follow in the footsteps of many high-profile guards before you and become a bodyguard, you’ll need to do a couple of things.

You will need to have your Certificate II in Security Operations and hold your unarmed security guard licence.

Then you’ll need to complete your Certificate III in Close Protection Operations. This is a course that covers everything you’ll need to know in order to act as a bodyguard for high profile clients. It is a relatively new addition the security training package.

This is a more lucrative area of the industry but it carries a lot of risk as well as a requirement to be strategic in your thinking.

Airport Security Screening Officer

If you want to work at the airport screening people and their luggage there is a particular course you will need to do.

As with all of the security industry you will need to do your Certificate II in Security Operations first and get your unarmed security guard licence. Once you have this, you’ll want to apply for your Job ready ASIC. This is a check they do to ensure you would be able to work at the airport. The reason you need this check prior to starting your course is that the transport security protection course contains sensitive material that requires a clearance.

Once you have your Job-ready ASIC you will need to complete the Certificate II in Transport Security Protection. This is the course required to be able to work in airport security screening.

The course runs for 5 days face to face with online study.

A Security Manager

Once you have been working in security for a while, you may be looking at career progression. If you’ve been working on the ground floor for a while and perhaps you’ve done some leading and supervision, you may want to rise up the ranks to become a security manager.

If you’re wanting to move forward in your career and become a manager you’ll want to take the Certificate IV in Security Management. This course is delivered online through self-paced trainer supported study. It can take 6 or 12 months depending on the type of delivery you go for ie: accelerated or standard.

In the course you’ll the gain necessary skills to manage a team of security guards. The course includes units on:

• Accessing and advising on client’s security needs
• Implementing contracting arrangements
• Leading team effectiveness
• Establishing and implementing ethics and governance arrangements for security businesses and much more.

Security Risk Advisor or Analyst

If you’re looking to specialise as a security risk advisor or analyst you’ll need the Certificate IV in Security Risk Analysis. This course is also the one required for those wanting to go for their class 2A security consultant licence in NSW through SLED.

You can read more about those requirements for that specific licence here.

A security risk analyst or adviser has to understand the ground floor operations of security guards but also security systems. If you are more interested in analysing a situation and assessing the risks involved, crunching the data and numbers then this might be the next step in your security career.

The course is delivered through online, self-paced, trainer-supported study and it takes anywhere from 6 months to 12 months to complete depending on whether you go for accelerated or standard delivery.

The course covers:

• Advising on advanced technology security systems to meet client’s needs.
• Advising on operational requirements to maintain crowded place security
• Developing security risk management plans
• Assessing security vulnerabilities of assets
• Identifying security threats and assessing impact on client operations and much more.

Cyber Security

If you are interested in online security and how to keep businesses and organisations safe, you may want to look into cyber security.

Cyber security is a growing business. The industry can’t keep up with demand at the moment which is driving up the median salary for those working as cyber security analysts. The average salary is currently $134,246 per year.

Cyber Security Analysts detect weak spots in a company’s systems and fix them. It is a complex and lucrative field to get into, but it’s a growing industry so those chasing this path can be confident their industry will be future proofed.

The course you would need to do if this is the job you’re interested in getting would be the Certificate IV in Cyber Security. This course will give you the skills to:

• monitor the risk of cyber security attacks
• implement appropriate software
• use a range of tools and procedures to mitigate cyber security threats
• protect an organisation from insider security breaches
• develop systems to minimise network vulnerabilities and risks

Government Security

If you are wanting to get into a public service role in security there are multiple course options depending on what you want to do in government security. Roles you might want to do could include:

• Government Fraud Prevention Officer
• Procurement Officer
• Revenue Officer
• Government Personnel Security Officer
• Government Security Officer

There are a series of government security courses that focus on delivering employment outcomes for this sector with a special focus on the specific regulations and ethics of working in government security.

The first is a general course, the Certificate IV in Government Security  which would be a great basis for someone wanting to get their foot in the door and work in public sector security.

Then there are more specialised qualifications such as Certificate IV in Government Security (Personnel Vetting), Certificate IV in Government Security (Fraud Control) and Certificate IV in Government Security (Regulatory Compliance) .

Whichever path you want to follow in security, there is a course that will help you get there. We hope this article has helped you to choose the right security course.

If you’d like to discuss the options for studying security, funding available or which direction might be best for you have a chat with one of our friendly course advisors today.