There are four steps. First you complete the licence-linked qualification for the role you want, such as the Level 2 Award for Door Supervisors. Second you apply to the Security Industry Authority, either yourself or with our help. Third the SIA carries out its own identity and criminal record checks. Fourth, if it is satisfied, it issues your licence. Skills Pad delivers the training and can prepare and submit the application with you for £250 including our admin fee, but the SIA alone decides whether a licence is granted.

You must be 18 or over, have the right to work in the UK, and pass an identity and criminal record check. A previous conviction does not automatically stop you. Our SIA course eligibility checker asks a few short questions and tells you which course you need and whether you also need first aid. Nothing is stored and nothing is sent.

You will need photographic identification and proof of your address, plus your National Insurance number. A current passport or a UK photocard driving licence is the simplest option, and a recent utility bill or bank statement usually covers proof of address. The SIA sets the exact requirements for licence applications and they can change, so if you are unsure what you have is acceptable, ring us before your course rather than turning up without it.

Through Skills Pad the SIA licence is £250, and that figure includes our administration fee for preparing and submitting the application with you. You are free to apply directly to the SIA yourself instead, in which case you pay the SIA’s own application fee. The licence fee is separate from your course fee.

You can apply directly to the SIA yourself using its online application service, or you can have Skills Pad handle it. Our SIA licence option is £250 including our admin fee: we prepare the application with you, check your documents and submit it, which cuts down the mistakes that cause applications to be delayed or refused. You can add it when you book your course or arrange it afterwards.

No. Passing the qualification is only part of the process. You cannot work in a front line security role until the SIA has granted your licence, and that involves the SIA’s own identity and criminal record checks after your application is submitted. Anyone who tells you that completing a course lets you start work straight away is misleading you.

If you want to work on the door at pubs, clubs, hotels, stadiums or events, take the Door Supervisor course. If you want to work in a control room monitoring public space surveillance cameras, take the CCTV Operator course. If you already hold or recently held a front line licence and simply need to renew it, take the matching refresher. If you are not sure, call 01582 958844 and we will tell you honestly which one you need.

Door supervisor training includes conflict management and a physical intervention module, because door supervisors work at licensed premises where they may have to manage people directly. Security guard training does not include physical intervention. A door supervisor licence covers security guarding roles as well, which is why most people choose the door supervisor route even if they are not certain they will work on a door. Skills Pad currently runs the Door Supervisor course, the Door Supervisor Refresher and the CCTV Operator course. We are not running Security Guard courses at the moment.

Yes. A valid Emergency First Aid at Work certificate is a mandatory entry requirement for the Door Supervisor course and the Door Supervisor Refresher. If you already hold one, bring it with you and there is nothing more to pay. If you do not, you can add Emergency First Aid at Work for £95 when you book. It is not required for the CCTV Operator course.

The full Door Supervisor course runs over six training days. The Door Supervisor Refresher is two or three days depending on the date you choose. The CCTV Operator course is three days. Emergency First Aid at Work is one day. Weekend days are not training days on our courses.

Every training day runs from 9.30am to 4pm, including assessment days. Please arrive in good time so that registration and identification checks are completed before teaching begins. If you have a caring responsibility or a shift pattern that makes those hours difficult, speak to us before you book and we will tell you honestly whether we can work around it.

Skills Pad Training Centre is at 33 Park Street West, Luton, LU1 3BE. It is a few minutes’ walk from both Luton town centre and Luton railway station, and local bus routes serve the area. Learners regularly travel to us from Dunstable, Houghton Regis, Bedford, Milton Keynes, Hemel Hempstead, Watford, Stevenage, St Albans and north London. Full directions are included in your joining instructions.

Alongside our in-person SIA training, Skills Pad offers a large range of online CPD and e-learning courses that you complete entirely online, in your own time. There is nothing to attend and no fixed dates. You choose a course, pay securely at the checkout, and we set up your access on our online learning platform so you can start straight away. Each course page shows the number of modules and the estimated hours of learning so you know what to expect.

As soon as your payment is confirmed, your learner account is created automatically on our online learning platform using the name and email address from your order, and your course is added to it. If you have bought from us before, the new course is simply added to your existing account. You will receive your login details by email, so you can sign in and begin right away. If you do not see the email within a few minutes, check your spam or junk folder before contacting us.

Your online courses are hosted on our learning platform at app.staffskillsacademy.co.uk. Sign in with the email address you used at the checkout, using the details sent to you after purchase, and your course will be waiting on your dashboard. If your welcome email has not arrived, contact us on 01582 958844 and we will get you set up.

Yes. Online courses are self-paced, so you can start, pause and come back whenever it suits you, and pick up exactly where you left off. The platform works on a computer, tablet or smartphone, which means you can learn at home, at work or on the move.

When you finish all the modules and pass any end-of-course assessment, your certificate is generated on the learning platform. You can download and print it yourself from your account, so there is no waiting on the post. We recommend saving a copy for your records and for any employer who asks for evidence of your CPD.

No. Our online courses are CPD and professional-development courses. They build knowledge and give you a certificate of completion, but they are not SIA licence-linked qualifications. To work in a front line security role you need the relevant in-person SIA course — Door Supervisor, Door Supervisor Refresher or CCTV Operator — and an SIA licence. If you are unsure which you need, call us on 01582 958844 and we will point you the right way.

Most of our online courses are self-paced with generous access, so you can fit study around work and family rather than racing a clock. If a particular course has a set access period it will be shown on the course page. If you are ever unsure, contact us before you buy and we will confirm.

Yes. An interest-free payment plan is available through Klarna at the checkout, so you can spread the cost of your course rather than paying it in one go. Klarna carries out its own checks and its own terms apply. You can also pay in full by debit or credit card, processed securely by Stripe.

Yes. Because you book online or by telephone you normally have fourteen days from the day after booking to cancel and be refunded, unless your course has already taken place within that period. After that, cancellation with more than 10 working days notice is refunded less a £25 administration fee, 5 to 10 working days notice is refunded at 50 per cent, and less than 5 working days notice or non-attendance is not refunded. You can move to a later date free of charge once if you give more than 5 working days notice. Full details are in our Booking, Cancellation and Refund Policy. Our office and telephone lines are open Monday to Friday, 9.30am to 4pm.

Skills Pad has not cancelled a scheduled course to date. If we ever had to move a course, for example because a tutor was unwell, we would contact you as early as possible, offer you the next available date at no extra cost, or give you a full refund if the new date did not suit you.

Join our course waiting list and we will contact you as soon as a place opens or a new date is confirmed. There is no cost and no obligation. You can also call us on 01582 958844, Monday to Friday, 9.30am to 4pm.

Sometimes. Skills Pad delivers funded and part-funded programmes alongside its commercial courses, including work with Luton Adult Learning. Eligibility depends on the specific programme, your circumstances and where you live, and funding is not available for every course. Call 01582 958844 and we will check honestly whether anything applies to you.

Yes. If you need several staff licensed, or you want training arranged around your shift patterns, contact us and we will put a quotation together. Group bookings are usually more cost effective than booking people onto public courses individually.

For our in-person courses, certificates are issued by Highfield once your results have been processed. Standard processing is 10 to 14 working days. If you need it sooner, our faster speed service processes your certificate and paperwork in 5 to 7 working days for £44.95, and you can add it when you book. For online courses, your certificate is available to download from your learning account as soon as you complete the course.

You are not the first and it is not the end of the road. Your tutor will go through what went wrong and you can retake the examination. A re-sit fee applies, as re-sits are not included in the course fee. We would rather you retook a paper and passed properly than scraped through without understanding the material you will be relying on at work.