{"id":46315,"date":"2026-08-31T11:32:14","date_gmt":"2026-08-31T11:32:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.get-licensed.co.uk\/get-daily\/?p=46315"},"modified":"2026-08-31T12:46:16","modified_gmt":"2026-08-31T12:46:16","slug":"sia-qualifications-consultation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.get-licensed.co.uk\/get-daily\/sia-qualifications-consultation\/","title":{"rendered":"SIA Consultation 2026: What The Proposed Changes Could Mean For You"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

On 28 August 2026, the Security Industry Authority opened a public consultation<\/a> on the qualifications behind every SIA licence<\/a>: door supervisor, security guard, CCTV operator, close protection, the lot. This isn’t a rubber-stamp exercise. It’s the result of a strategic review the SIA has been running since late 2025, built on research with over 5,000 people across the industry, including frontline licence holders, employers, trainers and police partners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nothing here is decided yet \u2014 that’s the whole point of a consultation, and the SIA is explicitly asking for input before anything’s locked in. But there’s real, specific detail in what’s being proposed, and it’s worth knowing now rather than finding out at your next renewal. We’ve broken down all the changes proposed by the SIA for 2027<\/a> on our website, but here’s what security officers should know specifically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why This Review Looks Different From The Usual Five-Year Refresh<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The SIA reviews licence-linked qualifications roughly every five years. What’s different this time is the scale of engagement behind it \u2014 44 sector experts and an advisory group including senior industry leaders and counter-terrorism policing partners helped shape the proposals, and a summary of research with 1,442 licence holders has been published alongside the consultation itself. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you want the fuller picture of how this review got here, our earlier piece on the SIA qualification review<\/a> covers the launch of that review. This consultation is the next, more concrete stage of the same process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First Aid Could Become An Actual Licence Condition<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Right now, a first aid qualification is something you generally need to start<\/em> certain training, but the SIA is proposing to make it a genuine ongoing licence condition for close protection operatives, door supervisors and security guards. In practice, that means letting your first aid certificate<\/a> lapse could put your licence itself at risk, not just your ability to enrol on a course.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This isn’t a proposal pulled from nowhere. The SIA’s own research found that 91% of licence holders surveyed considered first aid skills important to their role, and more than half said they’d actually used their first aid training on the job. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If your certificate is due to expire, it’s worth checking your options for renewing it sooner rather than later. Not because the rule change is confirmed, but because it’s clearly the direction of travel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recommended Reading: SIA Refresher Training & First Aid Requirements<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A New Independent English Language Test Is On The Table<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Communication skills came through just as strongly in the research \u2014 81% of respondents said they mattered to the role. The SIA is proposing an additional, independent English language test alongside more standardised testing from awarding organisations, aimed at giving employers and the public more confidence that licence holders can communicate effectively and safely on the job. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nothing about the format or pass standard has been set yet; that’s part of what the consultation is asking about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conflict Management Training Could Get More Realistic (And Physical Intervention Could Get A New Tier)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The SIA’s research flagged a real and specific problem: 43% of licence holders reported dealing with increasing levels of violence at work, particularly in retail settings. In response, the SIA is proposing to rework the conflict management skills specification for security guarding to include more real-life scenarios, rather than purely theoretical content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There’s also a bigger, genuinely new idea here: a first-of-its-kind post-licence standard in advanced physical intervention, aimed at higher-risk deployments. The SIA hasn’t decided whether this should be voluntary or compulsory; that’s one of the direct questions the consultation is putting to the industry. If conflict de-escalation is an area you want to sharpen regardless of how this lands, our guide to defusing conflict on the job<\/a> is worth a look.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Spiking Awareness Could Extend Beyond Door Supervision<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Spiking awareness training currently only applies to door supervision<\/a> and close protection<\/a> qualifications. The consultation proposes extending it to security guarding<\/a> and CCTV operator<\/a> courses too, recognising that spiking risk isn’t confined to nightlife doors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you want a head start on the subject regardless of which licence you hold, check out our guide to harm reduction and drug awareness for security staff<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other Content Changes Worth Knowing About<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A handful of smaller but genuinely new proposals are worth flagging, since they touch on things that don’t get much attention in current training:<\/p>\n\n\n\n