Authority

Section 53 (1) (a) of the Ontario Career Colleges Act, 2005 enables the Superintendent of Career Colleges to issue policy directives setting out standards for vocational programs or classes of vocational programs.

Subsection 53 (2) of the Ontario Career Colleges Act, 2005 establishes that policy directives issued by the Superintendent of Career Colleges are legal requirements that are binding on all career colleges and every career college must comply with and operate in accordance with the policy directive.

Effective February 2010

This is a legal document and is binding on all career colleges. Every career college shall comply with and be operated in accordance with this policy directive.

Program approval

Pursuant to section 23 (1) of the Ontario Career Colleges Act, 2005, career colleges that offer programs to prepare students for employment in the security guard or private investigator field require program approval by the Superintendent of Career Colleges.

Career colleges seeking approval for security guard or private investigator programs must comply with the directive outlined below and submit a complete program approval application to the Superintendent for consideration.

Note:
Upon receipt of program approval, the career college must include the disclaimer language below in student contracts leading to non-regulated vocations.

Mandatory requirements

Under this policy directive, career colleges offering programs designed to prepare students for employment in the security guard or private investigator field are required to:

The training syllabi and the disclaimer below are part of this policy directive.

Programs leading to regulated jobs

This directive applies to all program(s) that lead to vocations in the private security industry regulated under the Private Security and Investigative Services Act, 2005. This includes security practitioners and private investigators who perform work, for remuneration, consisting primarily of:

  • guarding or patrolling for the purposes of protecting persons or property
  • conducting investigations in order to provide information (on character or actions of an individual/business, the business or occupation of a person and the whereabouts of persons or property)

Any security guard, private investigator, bodyguard, bouncer or loss prevention personnel must be licensed under the Private Security and Investigative Services Act, 2005.

Only persons who have graduated from a program conforming to the prescribed standards will be eligible to apply for a license.

Programs leading to non-regulated jobs

Career colleges that deliver security related training for vocations that are not subject to the Private Security and Investigative Services Act, 2005 for example, armoured vehicle guards, peace officers, security advisors) must ensure that promotional materials and enrolment contracts do not suggest that the program(s) will enable graduates to obtain employment in the security guard and/or the private investigator field, as defined by the Ministry of the Solicitor General.

As a condition of program approval, career colleges offering training in security related vocations that are not subject to regulation are required to add a ministry-specified disclaimer to student enrolment contracts. The disclaimer will advise students that they will not be eligible for employment in the security guard or private investigator field upon graduation.

Enforcement

Under subsection 24 (1) of the Ontario Career Colleges Act, 2005 a career college's program approval may be revoked if the Superintendent believes that the program fails to meet the conditions of the approval. If a career college does not comply with the directive set out above, any or all of the following enforcement actions may be taken:

  • issuance of a Notice of Program Revocation
  • issuance of a Compliance or Restraining Order
  • application to a court for a Judicial Restraining Order
  • proposal to Revoke or to Not Renew Registration
  • prosecution for offences under the Ontario Career Colleges Act, 2005

Duty to inform

Disclaimer for college use only

Important note for registered career colleges providing training in non-regulated security jobs:

  • the wording below must be used exactly as specified and must be provided by the career college to students when the contract is being reviewed and signed
  • please insert the school and program name where indicated
  • include a signature and date line to record the student's acknowledgement
  • the document must be kept in the student's file as a record of the disclosure

Disclaimer regarding training programs for non-regulated security jobs

Private security industry workers are subject to the  Private Security and Investigative Services Act, 2005. This applies to any security guard, private investigator, bodyguard, bouncer or loss prevention personnel.

The law requires all individuals working in the private security industry to hold a valid licence issued by the Ministry of the Solicitor General. To obtain a license, individuals are required to write a licensing test.

Any student graduating from a program that does not follow the Ministry of the Solicitor General's training requirements will not qualify to write the licensing tests.

The [insert name of college and name of program ] is not required to follow the training standards set by the Ministry of the Solicitor General because graduates of this program will not be eligible for employment in the private security industry in the province of Ontario.

This means you will not be qualified to work in security related occupations such as:

  • security guard
  • private investigator
  • bodyguard
  • bouncer
  • loss prevention personnel

I acknowledge that I have read the above disclaimer and understand that I will not be eligible for employment in the private security industry in the province of Ontario after I complete this program.

Student's name (print):

Student's signature:

Date:

Contact

Contact the ministry if you have questions.

Career Colleges Branch
Ministry of Colleges and Universities
77 Wellesley Street, Box 977
Toronto, ON
M7A 1N3

 pcc@ontario.ca