Rick LePage, Staff Sergeant and Private Security Coordinator of the Pan/Parapan Am Games
By Jessica Laws
Contemporary Security Canada (CSC) has begun its search for the 5,000 qualified security guards that will secure the 2015 Pan Am and Parapan Am Games.
The CSC is accepting college and university student applicants, especially those in the police foundation and justice programs.
“We’ve had great interest so far from a number of the various colleges that we’ve worked with,” said CSC Project Director Derek Gagné. “It’s really a great opportunity for them to get some real life experience and also a great opportunity for us as well, because they obviously come with some specialized skills and training already.”
The interviewing and screening process will take place over the next seven months. The company says qualified candidates will need to fit a specific profile. They must be team players who are tenacious, have a proven ability to adapt and have strong work ethic, the company said in a statement.
Cameron Crawford, a 21-year-old Police Foundations student from Sheridan College, is an applicant for the job.
He said he thinks candidates’ need “strong leadership skills, positive work attitude, comfortable with shift work, good with confrontation and other skills.”
“It’s huge on the resume building. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to get this security job for something as huge as this without higher learning experience. So it’s exponential compared to other jobs you could potentially have,” Crawford said.
A qualified applicant will fill various roles in different locations that will help in securing the different games.
Rick LePage, Staff Sergeant and Private Security Coordinator of the games said that CSC security only makes up two-thirds of the security presence at the events.
“Private security will be performing screen services,” LePage said. “They will, for instance, be using wands and monitors to screen for prohibited items from entering into specific venues and they will perform different roles with directors and police officers.”
According to the CSC press release provided there are six stages in the interviewing process that will take place at the Recruitment Centre.
“Following acceptance of their conditional job offer, successful candidates follow a three-step training process which includes obtaining an Ontario Security Guard Licence and successfully completing both job-specific and venue-specific training,” it said.
Successful candidates will have their licensing fees covered if necessary.
“CSC is proud to be securing the largest multi-sport event in Canada’s history in partnership with the OPP and ISU,” said Stephen Mirabile, president and CEO of CSC, in the press release.
CSC has already received just over 2,000 applicants.
“Just really really pleased with the progress in terms of the results today,” said Gagné.