• Obtain a guard card and be certified by the State
• Obtain a firearms permit – practice at a licensed firearms training facility
• Obtain first aid/CPR certification
• Obtain a baton permit
• Obtain pepperspray certification
• Complete school security guard training as outlined by the BSIS

On top of these certifications, graduates receive placement assistance in order to help their transition into the security industry.

Call us today! (800) 499-6585

Auto repair, security, and CNC students– don’t stop there, we can also assist you in your search for work.

Call us today to jump start your job search!
(800) 499-6585

Here is just a partial list of how we can help:

• Interview practice
• Resume improvement
• Exclusive job leads for you to apply for

In addition to our previous homeland security curriculum where students obtain their guard card, firearms, baton, first aid/CPR, and pepperspray permits, graduates will train in the following:

• Role & Responsibility of School Security Officers
• Laws & Liability
• Security Awareness in the Educational Environment
• Mediation/Conflict Resolution
• Disasters & Emergencies
• Dynamics of Student Behavior

Call us today to get started! (866) 366-5174

Many California Career School students utilize assistance available through area workforce centers and the EDD in order to fund training programs. One type of assistance is the Workforce Investment Act (WIA). Passed in 1998, this law was enacted with the intention of compelling business to help develop the workforce. The name itself explains it as an act that invests in the workforce.

CCS graduates like Kirk Wahrman and David Hinds from our security guard program both obtained funding through this method. Trucking grad Jose Hunter and auto repair grad Tin Nguyen paid for school in this fashion as well.

Funding qualification is determined by your local workforce center.
Contact the Admissions Department today at 1(800) 499-6585 for a list of local workforce centers
You can also email us at admissions@californiacareerschool.edu.

Author: Sarah Bantay

We asked him, why choose a vocational school? “Honestly,” David expressed, “I needed the permits.” He talked about his weapons training, being an edge weapon instructor, avidly participating in jujitsu and all kinds of other activities. Yet, application after application, employers would press him, “Where’s your permit for pepperspray?” or “Where’s your permit for baton training?” Some employers told him that his concealed carry weapons permit was not valid for the job—that he needed a regular firearms carry permit. That’s how David Hinds stopped by our front door here at California Career School. He earned his firearms permit, pepperspray training permit, baton permit, first aid/CPR permit, and finally his guard card.

“Right now, I’m headed to the gym,” he joked. “Right now, I’m focusing on one job,” David referred to Social Security or any Veteran’s building. “I’ll apply to other different places. I’m a protective agent,” he explained, “that’s what I enjoy.”

So we went on to talk about firearms. He described to me a situation some time ago when he was approached by some individuals out in Moreno Valley and was shot twice in the chest during a robbery. “There’s dangers, so you have to be careful. Good things happen from [guns]—bad things happen from [guns].” When the robbery occurred, he thought, “I didn’t really think anything would ever happen to me.” David expressed that, no matter how prepared you feel to be, there are always threats.

Fast forward to today, after his completion of the Homeland Security and Investigations Course. He talked about the importance of keeping face as a security officer and to use the mind before resorting to force. He said, “Always got to keep sharp. You have to balance it out. You don’t want to be hurting someone for no reason.” Over the course of training, Roland, our course instructor, helped David refine a number of things, one being trigger reset while handling firearms. Another more personal type of focus was David’s left eye dominance, which he had previously been unaware of. Adjustments in firearm grip and technique needed to be made because of this.

“I knew where my strengths and weaknesses [were],” he described. “Roland helped turn my weaknesses into strengths… There’s always room for improvement. I definitely feel improved.”

Author: Sarah Bantay

Roland (right) making joking remarks with Kirk (left).

Before coming to California Career School, Mr. Wahrman was in the health and safety industry working happily and enjoying his duties. However, an unexpected discovery with his own health had forced him out of the job—he was diagnosed with cancer in March 2009. After several months of testing and various visits to hospitals, he returned to his work place only to find that he was relieved of his position.

This devastating news forced him to turn to the Employment Development Department (EDD) for the next step. “They kept telling me,” Kirk recalled, “You have good experience but you don’t have a degree.” Having been in the industry for years, Kirk’s experience level was high but a school background was lacking. After more dead ends and little progress in his search, Kirk changed his focus and decided to look into the security field. From 1975 to about 1995, Mr. Wahrman served in the Navy . “I was in security many years ago. Getting back into the business, being post 9/11, I knew there were going to be many changes,” he expressed.

“And that’s how I found California Career School,” Kirk said. Various aspects of security needed to be looked at in very different ways than what had been done in the past. “Roland,” said Kirk, “was very supportive and flexible, very knowledgeable, very thorough, generally takes an interest in the students and wants to see them succeed.” Roland Esquivel is our course instructor for the Homeland Security and Investigations course.

We asked Kirk about his favorite part of the course. “Graduation day,” he exclaimed, “with all the food and festivities. No, I’m just teasing. But the sense of accomplishment was there, that I completed a huge 500 hours of training.”

“We studied a lot of real life security issues, things in the news, things that were current.” Students would read these articles and the class would break them down into what laws were applied in those given situations, what procedures were taken, correct and incorrect actions taken towards a suspect, and other types of observations. “It really helped me learn the right way to look at a situation and be a better security officer.”

“Once I finished California Career School, I was considered for higher than entry level positions.” His military background played a huge part in that. Since then, the California Career School placement office has helped Kirk obtain offers from Securitas and Allied Barton. Kirk worked for both of these companies but as of this writing, he will hopefully be returning to Chicago to pursue an opportunity that he recently found in the industry he was originally in: health and safety.

We hope that Kirk will make it into this job as it is the one that he was originally looking for before reaching out to California Career School. It is indeed in his own health and his own safety that we wish him well. We would like to thank Mr. Kirk Wahrman for repeatedly taking the time to come in to visit with big smiles and always something funny to share.

“He’s got a lot of talent—he was a great student,” said Roland, our instructor. “[He] had a lot of fun experiences to share with the class, made the class more interesting… he had a great sense of humor, he will do great at whatever he puts his mind to.”

Author: Sarah Bantay

When Lance first started, we found that he had just turned 18 and that this seemed to be an obstacle in receiving his firearms permit. In the state of California, an individual must be 21 years of age in order to purchase a firearm. However, Lance would be working for a security company that requires armed patrol. This being the case, he is allowed to obtain an exposed firearms carry permit for his job. This company would be the party issuing firearms to Mr. Wilson for on the job activity– he remains unable to purchase firearms on his own until age 21.

Together with this carrying permit, Lance also obtained his guard card, CPR certification, baton and pepper-spray training. “The best part of the course was the shooting and the baton part,” writes Lance. See clips from our baton training.

Lance further commented on his instructor, “Roland is a very good teacher and really knows what he’s talking about.” Roland Esquivel, our HLS course instructor, is a retired LAPD lieutenant and had been in the force for 21 years before coming to California Career School to teach and help those interested in beginning a security career. Lance began this 500 hour course June 28, 2010 and completed right on time on November 12, 2010.

To Lance, we wish you all the best! You have been a fantastic student and you are always welcome at California Career School.

Link to: Lance’s testimonial Wilson-Lance

Special thanks to Kirk Wahrman for these excellent photos!

Author: Sarah Bantay

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.