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Adam Bannister is a contributor to IFSEC Global, having been in the role of Editor from 2014 through to November 2019. Adam also had stints as a journalist at cybersecurity publication, The Daily Swig, and as Managing Editor at Dynamis Online Media Group.
January 28, 2015

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£5m Security and Safety Training Centre Boasts ‘Mock Town’

pilgrims training centreA state-of-the-art centre for security and safety training has been opened in Surrey by Pilgrims Group Ltd.

The centre, which comprises 13,000 sq ft of office space and 32,000 sq ft of indoor warehouse space, will offer training not only through a traditional – albeit high-tech – classroom environment, but through scenarios played out in a large mock town, something not dissimilar to a film set.

Based in Redhill the centre will serve as the European headquarters for Pilgrims’ award-winning training academy.

The facility, which is near to major transport links like Gatwick Airport, will offer a range of bespoke training to businesses, governments, NGOs and individuals, as well as media safety training for teams preparing to deploy to high risk environments.

“We will be able to run multiple courses simultaneously at the centre, which has very modern classrooms with 160 inch screen facilities and excellent sound systems,” says Pilgrims COO David Freear. “We are currently building a small town within the warehouse with houses, streets, cafés, shops and government buildings, literally anything you would find in an urban environment.”

“We will also be including a major building collapse set to allow clients to test their contingency plans and first aid response abilities.

Realistic

checkpoint

Checkpoint training by Pilgrims

“It will all be as realistic as it needs to be, so instead of people having to train twice, once in the field and then in a classroom, we can provide a one-stop shop.  It creates an urban environment which is where most people will be sent to work – something that can’t often be replicated in the field.

“This will enable us to put delegates through various practical scenarios using our in-house team of actors/role players and run them through drills in a way that is much closer to what most people might face in real life situations.”

Among the courses already in place at the centre Fastrack HEAT™, SAFE™ and SAFE Plus™.  Pilgrims plans to develop capacity for courses in medical trauma, tactical training for police forces and disaster scenarios, as well as standard health and safety and security industry training.

“This facility allows us to put pretty much anything together, such as a 30 vehicle pileup disaster scenario which we did for one of our pharmaceutical clients, as well as a wide range of other incidents that clients may face,” continues Freear.

“Whatever people need, with this new facility we can probably create it for them. We are linking the training into our E-Learning programme and can video the scenarios we create to make them available online both for analysis and for those unable to attend.”

Pilgrims Training was voted ‘Security Training Initiative of the Year’ in 2014 and 2012 and was a finalist in the 2013 Security Excellence Awards.

The security and risk management specialists are investing £5m into the Training Academy over the next decade. “This opening represents a very exciting time of growth for our company and some incredible opportunities,” says Freear.

The Centre is open for business seven days a week and will also offer corporate team building days, conference facilities and activities for children, including Airsoft challenges and Nerf (soft foam weaponry) games for wider community use at weekends.

Pilgrims’ global headquarters remain in Woking, Surrey.

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