College offers Certified Protection Officer preparation

The Security Engineering and Administration Technology degree program at Pellissippi State now offers a course that prepares students to earn the nationally recognized credential of Certified Protection Officer.

Ninety percent of students who took the CPO exam as part of the new course gained certification.

SEAT 2800 Professional Practices was first offered spring 2007 as a special topics class and is being taught again this semester.

SEAT, a two-year associate’s degree program, began in January 2006 and prepares students to administer the latest advances in corporate and government security.

The new course is sanctioned by the International Foundation for Protection Officers, which facilitates the training and certification needs of protection officers and security supervisors.

John Sterling, assistant professor and SEAT program coordinator, says he considers the new course the capstone of the program.

“During the class,” said Sterling, “students review principles and practices that distinguish professional security officers from the merely mediocre.”

The final exam is the CPO certification test.

According to the IFPO, those who gain certification find that the training improves both their job performance and their job enjoyment.

“Gaining the recognition,” said Sterling, “also gives our graduates a real advantage when they’re looking for employment.”

The new course is available not only to SEAT students but also to security professionals looking to improve their skills.

"Inside Pellissippi" is a bi-monthly electronic publication produced by the Marketing and Communications Office for the faculty and staff of Pellissippi State Technical Community College, 10915 Hardin Valley Road, P.O. Box 22990, Knoxville, Tennessee 37933-0990. All suggestions and comments should be sent to Julia Wood (jwood@pstcc.edu).

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