The Cost of EP and SD Training
ISDA is collecting data to determine the amount of money spent on Executive Protection and Security Driving Training.
In conducting the research, we collected some interesting information. We looked at a government site that gathers data on Executive Protection Training schools that offered the Post-9/11 GI Bill; the data is from 2018.
These are pieces of information from the website:
- Out of the eight programs that offer the GI bill, three recorded no students and no income.
- The other five recorded a total of $5,181,311 of income from a combined 381 students. That works out to $13,599 per student.
Last year, ISDA conducted a training survey asking the questions – What is the approximate total cost of all the training programs you have attended? Executive Protection and Protective Driving only, not including travel and lodgings. The total amount spent was $3,297,900.
We asked – What was the approximate total cost of traveling to/from the training location and lodgings for all the training program(s) you attended? The amount was $452,500.
The combined cost of training and travel is $3,750,400, which gives us that 12% of the total cost of training is traveling.
We also asked – Did you use your GI BILL Benefits for Executive Protection or Protective Driving training program(s)?
- Yes 2.67%
- No 97.33%
Considering that 97% of the participants don’t use the GI bill and using some simple mathematics, we come up with a potential dollar market of $8,375,585.
When you consider that our survey is US-centric and reaches a specific market, we would say that the total dollar training market number is low.
The question arises with all these new training providers; are they entering the market because they see a financial windfall, or are they doing it for ego gratification? That is not a criticism; it is a question.
Our survey also asked – Did you use a loan or financing to pay for the Executive Protection or Protective Driving program(s)?
- Yes 7.33%
- No 92.67%
Our opinion – that the majority of the survey takers were from the ISDA network, which consists of a market that does not need loads to attend training.
Some other questions from the survey that could be of interest
How did you hear about the training program(s) you attended?
- Word of mouth (friends, peers, family, etc.) 73.33%
- Advertising (print or digital) 30.67%
- Facebook groups or pages 10.67%
- LinkedIn groups or pages 10.00%
The above numbers should be no surprise; for decades, the best marketing tool is word of mouth marketing (WOMM). Which brings up a point that we have been making for 46 years – you influence word of mouth – understanding the concept of how to create positive word of mouth advertising is a plus.
What was the deciding factor(s) in selecting your training program(s)?
- Reputation of training provider 87.33%
- Cost 33.33%
- Recommendation from graduates 32.67%
- Location 27.33%
- Promise of job placement 8.67%
We asked the participants to list all of the deciding factors, so the numbers add up to more than 100%. Again, this is a comment coming from 46 years of experience conducting training programs; the reputation comes from what you do during the training and what you do before and after the training.
What was your motivation to attend the training program(s)?
- Career advancement 58.67%
- First step in entering the profession 41.33%
- Refresher Program 41.33%
- Sent by company 34.00%
- Other (please specify) 20.00%
The answer also adds up to more than 100% for the same reason as the one above.
These answers to the ISDA training survey are just a snapshot of the complete survey. We have a considerable amount of data to go over and put into some usable form. We appreciate your input; if you have any hard data, metrics, or any information you would be willing to share, we would appreciate it.
If we can answer any questions, please email us.