Executive Protection Training Programs at Pacific West Academy
Let me tell you about our Executive Protection Training Programs at PWA.edu
There are many philosophies when it comes to executive protection training programs. Our Certified Executive Security Specialist (CESS) Course is taught by many different instructors, with many different backgrounds. Our curriculum was heavily vetted and approved by the Government to allow the GI Bill to cover it. Our training has evolved over the years to adapt with a changing world, preparing our students for a successful career. Our instructors and staff have spent their lives committed to military and security operations.
Starting with the basics
Our course is 33 days long which gives us an opportunity to teach the fundamentals of being a Security Agent and control the escalation of the walk-crawl-run phases. We start with basic California BSIS (Bureau of Security and Investigation Services) Guard Card, Exposed firearm, and Baton to ensure that your licenses are processed by the end of training and you are ready to work! Arrest and Control, Executive Protection basics and Conflict Resolution Techniques are introduced here and developed throughout the entire course. We break up the classroom periods with combatives, scenario training, and simulator training.
Continued training and preparation
With the basics firmly understood (and reviewed by the instructors in accordance with California State requirements), the academy moves into more advanced executive protection training programs. Taser, OC/pepper spray, and CPR add certifications to your arsenal. Resume writing, School Security Guard (SB1626) and Sexual Harassment training prepare you for vast opportunities in which to find a career in the Protection fields. We use real life scenarios and state of the art training facilities, including a reactive shooter simulator, driving courses, and classroom training to ensure your training is well rounded.We review different career paths in the Security/protection area outside of Executive Protection (like Estate Agents, Event Security Staff, School Security Guards, and Overseas Contracting to name a few). We want to set every student up for success as they pursue their career.
Advanced training
Advanced Firearms training, Emergency Vehicle Operations Course (EVOC), Advanced Executive Protection, and Tactical Emergency Causality Care round out the experience. We work with outstanding facilities in our area to ensure our training is immersive and realistic. By the Final Training Exercise (FTX), you will be prepared, trained, and qualified! Your FTX will consist of escorting your VIP around town, ensuring they are kept safe and secure. Our students are amazed at the attention to detail our Staff and Instructors put into our academy. Our Advanced training is taught by some of the best the world has to offer: Army Special Forces to Israeli Secret Service, 82nd Airborne to United States Marine Corps; our military veteran instructors work alongside our Former Law Enforcement Officers and BSIS Range Safety Officers to bring you the best training available.
What happens after the Executive Protection Training Program?
Our students come from all over the country to complete our executive protection training programs. Every student will leave with interviewing skills, a professional resume, and enrollment into a global online work source, specific to Security Agents. We also work with job placement agencies and Security companies throughout the US to help ensure gainful employment. Our staff takes great pride in the success of our students, and actively works to ensure they have the careers they are looking for.
What if I don’t have 33 days for training?
In addition we have a 12-day course. This course covers all the basics of our training and some advanced training. You will complete the 12-day course with most of the same certifications as the 33 days course but will miss out on the more advanced training. However, the training will give you everything you need to make a career for yourself. It is also WIOA – Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act approved for financial support (the course isn’t long enough to meet the GI Bill approval requirements). If you look through the Programs Tab of our website you will see the break downs in the classes, with cost associated with each of them.
How much training should I have beforehand?
Our students come from a highly diverse background, with varying levels of experience. They all work together to pull through the course. Some of our best students have come in with no training at all, and every veteran has taken something new away from our course. We have had students with no experience at all enter the course and are now Supervisors with security companies. No matter what training level you have, there is always something to learn. Our Executive Protection Training Programs are structured in a way that people with less training are not at a disadvantage to those with more during the course. Students bring their experience and bring it to the class to the betterment of everyone. Some students have even been hired on as instructors!
Do I have to be a Veteran?
Most of our students (and staff) are Veterans, but you do not have to be. Our non-veteran students have offered a valuable perspective on civilian life that most veterans benefit from (after all, most of our clients are not veterans). The different backgrounds that our students and staff bring to the Academy makes it incredibly diverse, and very successful.
To learn more about our executive protection training programs or careers in the security industry—including how to transition into this line of work—we invite you to check out some of our programs. Our flagship course is the Certified Executive Security Specialist (CESS) program which offers classroom and physical training toward employment in high-end security positions.
Alvin
PWA Staff Writer