Tips on Choosing a PSO Training Provider
Because California and the BSIS tasks the PSEs with keeping the training records for its PSOs for all currently PSOs it employs, but even for all PSOs who no longer work for them until 2 years after the employment end date, it is important for you to pick a PSO Training Provider that can help you with this record keeping task, if you won’t be training your own PSOs.
When evaluating PSO Training Providers determine if they can:
- Allow you to securely track the progress of your PSOs completing their training requirements online using reports. Should the BSIS audit your records, you can easily show them the online report to help show your compliance with the law.
- Reasonable costs for training that don’t become a burden to your security officers or your company.
- If offering online PSO classes, provide easy, online registration and payment for the training.
- If offering online security officer courses, provide 24 hour access to the content for registered users.
- If offering in classroom PSO training, offer a frequent class schedule at a location convenient to your private security officers.
- Be able to host your custom training online at a fair cost. The cost of this service will depend how much custom training you have and whether it contains lengthy video content.
The Online Hosting of Your Custom Training
You may require your security officers to have additional, custom training not mandated by the BSIS, but that you feel is vital to the PSOs performing their duties properly or to meet insurance requirements. This custom training could relate to issues specific to your location or type of business. You may want to offer these custom courses as a way to help your private security officers to meet their yearly continuing education requirements. The custom training materials that you’ve developed could be minimal with just a few pages or videos, or an extensive curriculum wit many courses containing videos, slides and course handouts. For example, you want your bouncers to receive specific education about the proper way to handle rowdy patrons in your bar or nightclub, and you have a 25-page booklet that your PSOs must read and then take a review exam.
As part of this custom training, you should keep records of which PSOs completed your custom training and when they completed the training.
Because you’re not in the training or record keeping business, keeping track of this custom training materials and the associated record may be difficult or costly. Selecting a PSO Training Provider that can put your custom training materials online, allow your PSOs to complete all or part of their training online and have a online training report that you can securely access with a login ID and password can make your PSO training and record keeping streamlined and low cost.
One PSO Training Provider that provides the service for both security guards and security officers (PSOs) at a reasonable cost is GuardCardCourses.com. This site will help PSEs find in-person Appropriate Use of Force classes being taught locally.
What should I Read Next?
- If you want to find out about whether or not you can provide training for the PSOs who work for you, read How to Determine if You can Train a PSO.
- If you aren’t sure if you need to register as a Private Security Employer or Private Patrol Operator, read How to Determine if You’re You a PSE or PPO.