It is necessary to hire thousands of private security agents, in addition to police and gendarmes, to ensure the security of major events. The government is setting up express training for job seekers and students.
“Hello Samu, I am in the presence of a victim who is unconscious!” It is an exercise in situation for nine students who follow, Wednesday, April 26, in Versailles a training module concerning first aid. These young people left for three weeks of PSGE training, for Preparation for the security of major events. They will have to follow 106 hours of lessons to hope, at the end, to obtain certification and be able to work as a security officer for major sporting events: Roland-Garros, the Rugby World Cup organized in the fall of 2023 in France, and of course the Olympic Games in the summer of 2024.
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“I have been passionate about sports since I was little”, says Manon, a first-year student at Staps, the sports sector at the university. She is not at all destined to make security her job but rather sees it as a small complementary job: “That gives us more diplomas, it’s really not bad for the CV. You have to take advantage of all that to have another experience in other fields and see behind the scenes.”
A target of 22,000 trained security officers
These three weeks of learning are paid 950 euros for those under 26 years old. The objective of this program is to train 22,000 security guards within one year. Job seekers are targeted, but also young people in training. The training is both theoretical and practicalexplains Charline Avenel, rector of the Academy of Versailles. It allows them to have a professional card, then to work during the Olympics with this professional title.
This training is basic and does not allow, for example, to carry a weapon. It is supposed to contribute to responding to the lack of labor in the booming sector, attests Benoît de Saint Sernin, director of the European School of Economic Intelligence (EEIE) which hosts the training: “It’s a sector that is even booming with the global insecurity in which we live. On the other hand, it’s a sector that has difficulty recruiting because this profession does not necessarily have a good image and does not “It’s not easy to integrate. You have to go through real obstacles, including the morality survey with the Ministry of the Interior, and it’s very severe.”
“Despite all these obstacles, today in my school, I have more than 300 permanent contracts available on my desk and I am only waiting for the candidates.”
Benoît de Saint Sernin, director of the EEIEat franceinfo
This professional card, which young people will be able to obtain, is valid until October 2025. They will therefore be able to work on other events, such as matches, festivals or concerts. And for all those who have been hired for a mission during the Olympic Games, they will receive two places to attend a Paralympic Games event.
