SIA Top-Up Upskilling Training is now part of every Security professional’s career. It’s a step beyond simple skill refresher courses
Who is SIA Top-Up Training for?
Door Supervisors and other security professionals renewing their licence after 1st October 2021 need to take this course.
That’s because Top-Up Training for an SIA Licence includes new content, based on new skills needed in modern security work.
Requirements:
✔️Action Counters Terrorism Course (ACT Course) – Bring your certificate of completion for your ACT Course when you go to your SIA top-up training course
✔️Completing the supplied e-learning videos
First Aid Requirements for an SIA Top-Up Course:
Candidates should be qualified in Emergency First Aid at Work (EFAW). However, if you’re yet to complete an EFAW course, you can take it as part of your booked course package.
It’s important to understand which First Aid skills do and don’t count towards your SIA Licence. Your certificate must be EFAW or higher, and check to make sure it’s valid for over 12 months on the start date of the course.
Get ahead before your SIA Top-Up Training with a First Aid Refresher
It’s always a smart idea to prepare yourself for a course with as much information as possible. If you’re taking an EFAW course as part of your SIA Top-Up Training, you can stay one step ahead by taking a First Aid Refresher Course before your training date.
Our First Aid Refresher Courses are easily completed online for free. While they aren’t a replacement for an EFAW course, they do ensure you have a basic understanding of important first aid knowledge, including:
✔️ Taking charge and summoning help
✔️ Priorities in First Aid
✔️ Basic life support and use of AED equipment
✔️ Controlling bleeding
✔️ Epilepsy
✔️ Poisoning
✔️ Burns and scalds
✔️ Record keeping
SIA Licence Top-Up Training Assessments:
You’ll pass your Top-Up Training course with a mix of written exams, as well as practical assessments where you demonstrate the skills you’ve learned.
Multiple-choice exams:
✔️ Principles of Terror Threat Awareness in The Private Security Industry (10 questions)
✔️ Principles of Using Equipment as a Door Supervisor in The Private Security Industry (5 questions)
✔️ Application of Physical Intervention Skills in The Private Security Industry (30 questions)
Practical assessments:
✔️ Principles of Using Equipment as a Door Supervisor in The Private Security Industry
✔️ Application of Physical Intervention Skills in The Private Security Industry
Understanding your SIA Top-Up Training Units
There are 3 units on this course:
✔️ Principles of Terror Threat Awareness in the Private Security Industry (assessed by theory and exam)
✔️ Principles of Using Equipment as a Door Supervisor in the Private Security Industry (assessed by theory, practical and exam)
✔️ Application of Physical Intervention in the Private Security Industry (assessed by theory, practical and exam)
Top-Up Training Course — Day by Day
Day 1 of the course means getting to the training venue on time, together with your ID. Just like your first Door Supervisor or Security Guard course, you need to present that ID to be allowed in.
If you’ve taken any English assessments, be certain those are finished and have been marked before your course begins.
Remember that your training instructor will also need to see proof that you’ve completed your e-learning. That means completing the ACT awareness e-learning course before your Top-Up Training date. You can show this e-learning proof before the course begins that day, or show it at the end of the day instead.
The SIA is keen that security professionals have this knowledge. ACT means ‘Action Counters Terrorism’, and while the course only takes about 45 minutes to complete, it shows you how to respond to risks like bomb threats, suspicious activity, as well as people using weapons.
SIA Top-Up Training Day 1 — What to Expect:
Day 1 — Theory Elements and First Aid:
✔️ 8am – 12pm – Emergency First Aid at Work (EFAW)
✔️ 12pm – 1pm – Administrative tasks (English assessments, etc.)
✔️ 1pm – 7:30pm – Top-Up Training theory (Physical Intervention, Use of Equipment and Terrorism Awareness)
Remember, latecomers are almost always turned away, so make sure you know what time you need to be at your course.
If you already have your Emergency First Aid at Work Certificate (EFAW), you’re free to attend the morning EFAW training only if you choose to. However, you’ll need to be at the venue for your Top-Up Training in the afternoon.
In other words, if you present your EFAW certificate on Day 1, you need only attend in the afternoon from 12pm to learn the new Top-Up Training upskilling knowledge.
SIA Top-Up Training Day 2 — What to Expect
On day 2, things become more active. You’ll show your training instructor you’re able to correctly use radios to communicate with other security professionals. You’ll also demonstrate your skills in safe intervention.
Day 2 runs from 8am until 5:30pm.
✔️ 8am – 4pm – You’ll complete assessments and practical exercises for radio communication and physical intervention (and have this filmed)
✔️ 4pm – 5:30pm – 3 x Multiple Choice Question exams
The exams on Day 2 are designed for fast, easy completion. The first exam tests your skills in recognising terrorism threats, with 10 questions.
The second is about professional use of equipment, with 5 questions.
The third exam is 30 questions on physical intervention techniques.