If you recently booked a door supervisor course through a BIIAB-approved centre, check your paperwork today. Ofqual has issued a formal Direction stopping BIIAB Qualifications Limited from registering new learners on a set of security qualifications, and the SIA has removed the affected BIIAB courses from its course finder. It’s a targeted intervention, but one that matters for anyone chasing an SIA licence through a BIIAB route.

The short version: if you registered on an affected BIIAB course on or before 2 July 2026, you can complete it. If you were about to be registered, you can’t be. And if you’ve paid a deposit but weren’t registered with BIIAB before that date, you’re in a grey zone that needs sorting now.

What Ofqual Has Done

On 2 July 2026, Ofqual issued a Direction to BIIAB Qualifications Limited under section 151 of the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009 (ref Ofqual/26/7349), announced publicly on 9 July. It stops BIIAB registering new learners on a number of specified private security qualifications, while allowing anyone already registered on or before 2 July to complete theirs under strict controls.

Ofqual said it acted after serious concerns emerged about how BIIAB was delivering door supervisor and security qualifications. The step builds on earlier controls Ofqual placed on BIIAB in September 2025, and the restrictions stay in place until BIIAB demonstrates to Ofqual’s satisfaction that it’s compliant.

One important caveat on the detail: Ofqual has said it will not publish the full legal Direction, because some of its requirements are sensitive. The public notice on gov.uk confirms the action but does not list the individual qualifications. According to trade reporting (FE Week), the affected qualifications are BIIAB’s Level 2 door supervisor award, its door supervisor refresher, and its Level 2 security officer award — but since there’s no official published list, don’t rely on the qualification title alone. Confirm directly with your training provider which BIIAB qualification you’re booked on.

The SIA’s Position

The SIA welcomed Ofqual’s action and, working with Ofqual, removed the affected BIIAB courses from its course finder tool. Its executive director of licensing and standards framed it as protecting the integrity of the SIA licence and the mandated entry-level training operatives must complete.

This sits within the SIA’s wider enforcement drive, Operation RESOLUTE, which targets poor standards among commercial training providers. In the last month alone the SIA carried out 24 unannounced inspections at training centres across England, with Ofqual inspectors joining some of those visits.

BIIAB remains listed as an accepted awarding body in the SIA’s qualifications guidance on gov.uk, and Ofqual has protected existing learners’ right to complete. If you already hold or are completing a BIIAB certificate, confirm current acceptance against the SIA’s qualifications guidance before you rely on it — and if you’re booking anything new, check the awarding body first.

What This Means If You’re Mid-Course

Learners registered on an affected BIIAB course on or before 2 July 2026 can complete their qualification. If that’s you, three things matter:

• Confirm your registration date in writing. Ask your training centre when BIIAB registered you as a learner — not the date you booked, the date you were registered with the awarding body.
• Finish within the allowed window. Awarding bodies give learners a set period to complete. Don’t drift.
• Keep every document. Emails, receipts, unit results, the final certificate. If a question arises at the licence stage, paperwork wins.

If You Booked But Weren’t Registered

This is the messy group. If you paid a provider for a BIIAB course but weren’t registered with BIIAB on or before 2 July 2026, they can’t register you now. You have two realistic options:

• Ask the provider to move you onto an equivalent course delivered under a different Ofqual-regulated, SIA-recognised awarding body.
• Request a refund under the provider’s terms and book elsewhere.

Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, if a provider can’t deliver the service you paid for, you’re generally entitled to a refund or a suitable alternative. Don’t accept a credit note for a course that can’t lead to an SIA licence.

How to Check Your Training Provider’s Status

Before you hand over any more money, do two checks:

• Ask which awarding body will register you and issue your certificate — not just which training centre is delivering the course.
• Cross-reference that awarding body against the SIA’s current qualifications guidance on gov.uk.

Reputable trainers will answer both clearly. If the sales pitch dodges the awarding body question, walk away.

Refreshers and Renewals

The refresher is in scope of the Direction — which matters, because door supervisors now need a refresher qualification to renew their licence. If you’re renewing and were relying on a BIIAB refresher, confirm with your trainer which awarding body will register you before you pay, or book a door supervisor refresher course under a recognised awarding body. Existing registered learners can still complete; no new BIIAB registrations are permitted.

The Bigger Picture

Ofqual and the SIA have been tightening oversight of security training for some time, and this is the sharpest action yet. It’s part of a broader enforcement push — the SIA has also been running unannounced inspections across the night-time economy, checking who’s actually working the door, alongside a longer-running crackdown on the wider problem of training malpractice that lets underqualified operatives slip through. When an awarding body’s controls slip, learners are the ones caught in the wash — which is why the awarding body behind your certificate matters as much as the trainer in front of you.

The lesson for anyone entering the industry: your certificate is only as good as the awarding body backing it. Pick a course from a provider that names its awarding body up front and can point to that body’s current SIA-recognised status.

If you’re unsure where you stand with a BIIAB booking, or you need to switch to a course that will actually get you licensed, browse SIA courses and speak to a representative for more guidance before you pay.