SIA Door Supervisor Course

The SIA Door Supervisor Course is the licence-linked training you must complete before applying to the Security Industry Authority for a front line door supervisor licence. At Skills Pad you study the Highfield Level 2 Award for Door Supervisors in the Private Security Industry, a nationally recognised qualification that prepares you to work at nightclubs, bars, pubs, hotels, stadiums, festivals, retail sites and private events.

Training runs over six days at our centre at 33 Park Street West, Luton, LU1 3BE, a few minutes’ walk from Luton town centre and Luton railway station. The course fee is £350, and training runs from 9.30am to 4pm on each training day.

Who this course is for

• Anyone who wants to work on the door at a licensed venue, event or festival and needs their first SIA licence.
• People moving into security from another industry, with no previous security experience.
• Security officers who want to add door supervision to the roles they can take on.
• Employers putting a group of new starters through their licence-linked qualification together.

The qualification you will achieve

• Qualification: Highfield Level 2 Award for Door Supervisors in the Private Security Industry
• Awarding body: Highfield Qualifications
• Level: 2 (Regulated Qualifications Framework)
• Length: Six training days
• Delivery: Classroom based, in person, at our Luton centre
• Course fee: £350

Skills Pad is an approved training provider, not the Security Industry Authority. Passing this qualification is a requirement for a door supervisor licence, but the SIA makes the final decision on every application after its own identity and criminal record checks.

What is included, and what costs extra

The £350 course fee includes six days of classroom and practical training, all four Highfield examinations, the practical physical intervention assessment, course workbooks and your Highfield certificate on successful completion.

Not included: Emergency First Aid at Work (£95), a mandatory entry requirement unless you already hold a valid first aid certificate, and the SIA licence (£250), which covers Skills Pad’s administration fee for handling your licence application. Travel, parking, refreshments and any re-sit fees are also not included.

Entry requirements

You must be at least 18 years old and bring original photographic identification on the first day, such as a valid passport, UK photocard driving licence, biometric residence permit or EEA national identity card. Because the examinations are written and taken in English, you will need English at around B1 / Level 1 standard.

Since April 2021 the SIA has required anyone applying for a new door supervisor licence to hold a valid Emergency First Aid at Work (EFAW), First Aid at Work (FAW) or equivalent certificate before completing door supervisor training. If you do not already hold one, you can add Skills Pad’s Emergency First Aid at Work course for £95 when you book.

What you will learn

The qualification is made up of four units:

• Unit 1 – Working in the private security industry: the role of the SIA and how licensing works, the law as it applies to private security, health and safety, and communication and record-keeping.
• Unit 2 – Working as a door supervisor: licensing law, searching people and property, drug awareness and safeguarding, queue management and ejections, and working alongside the police and emergency services.
• Unit 3 – Conflict management: recognising escalating situations, de-escalation and negotiation, assertive communication, and post-incident reporting.
• Unit 4 – Physical intervention skills: reasonable and proportionate use of force, low-level restrictive skills, escorting and holding techniques, and a supervised practical assessment.

Unit 4 is physical, so wear comfortable clothing and flat, closed footwear on those days, and tell your tutor in advance about any injury or medical condition that may affect your ability to take part.

Assessment and your SIA licence application

Units 1, 2 and 3 are assessed by multiple choice examination at our centre, and Unit 4 by practical demonstration. If you do not pass first time, you can re-sit for an additional fee. Once Highfield issues your certificate, you can apply to the SIA for a front line door supervisor licence, which involves confirming your identity, providing a five-year address history and consenting to a criminal record check. Skills Pad can handle this application for you for £250, including our administration fee, or you can apply directly to the SIA. Completing this course does not guarantee that a licence will be granted; the SIA decides every application on its own merits.

Where you will train

Training takes place at Skills Pad, 33 Park Street West, Luton, LU1 3BE, around a ten-minute walk from Luton railway station and the town centre bus stops, with no on-site parking. Learners travel to us from Luton, Dunstable, Houghton Regis, Bedford, Milton Keynes, Hemel Hempstead, Stevenage, St Albans, Watford and north London.

Progression after this course

A front line door supervisor licence also allows you to carry out security guarding work, and licence holders go on to work in nightclubs, bars, pubs, hotels, stadiums, festivals, retail sites and private functions. To keep your licence current you will eventually need the SIA Door Supervisor Refresher, and you can add a second licence with the SIA CCTV Operators Course for control room and public space surveillance work.

Browse our full range of SIA training courses in Luton, explore other accredited qualifications at Skills Pad, or visit our programmes page to see how this course fits into a wider career pathway.