SIA Refresher Course in London

What the refresher covers

The SIA introduced refresher training so that front-line officers keep their safety-critical skills up to date. The course updates you on what has changed since you first qualified and checks that you can still apply it.

Door Supervisor refresher. Emergency First Aid in the first half of day one, then updated content on searching, safeguarding vulnerable people, spiking and the terrorist threat, followed by a refresher in physical intervention skills. There are two units to pass. Unit 1, on door supervisor duties, ends with a 35-question multiple-choice exam of 55 minutes and a practical search. Unit 2, on physical intervention, ends with a 30-question multiple-choice exam of 45 minutes, a practical assessment and oral questions.

Security Guard refresher. The updated SIA units for security officers in one day, with Emergency First Aid in the first half of the day. You finish with a 28-question multiple-choice test of about 45 minutes and a practical assessment of your search technique.

How renewal works

1. Book your refresher four to five months before your licence expires. If it has already expired, you can still book: the SIA lets you renew before your licence expires or up to three years after it expires.
2. Complete your free ACT certificates on ProtectUK before the course. Our ACT training guide shows you how.
3. Complete the course and pass the assessment. Results and certificates normally take two to three weeks. Delays at the awarding bodies can make it longer, so we cannot promise an exact date.
4. Apply to renew online with the SIA. You can apply up to four months before expiry, and any unused time carries over to your new licence.
5. Keep working while the SIA processes your application, as long as your current licence is still valid.

Renewing and adding CCTV

Renewal is a good moment to add a second licence. Our refresher and CCTV bundles take five days in total: the two-day Door Supervisor refresher, then the three-day CCTV course, at Bethnal Green, Stratford, Forest Gate, Canary Wharf and Battersea. You pay the whole balance at the centre on your first day. The dates we list start with the refresher on a Saturday. If you would rather start with CCTV, call us and we can arrange it. Send both licence applications to the SIA together and the second licence costs less.

For the full background on the rules, read our guide to SIA licence renewal. If you have never held a licence, you need the full Door Supervisor course instead.