At the airport, safety is a must.
The importance of airport x-ray scanners has increased since Sept. 11, 2001. The threat of someone bringing a bomb or weapon on a plane, to use on the plane or at the destination, is present. This kind of threat could be stopped with identification of possible suspects. But what if the person does not have a criminal background? The next step is to take X-ray images of passenger's bags. Yet, what an X-ray image shows is not easily discernible.
Types
X-ray screener training can be taken in a classroom setting or online. Training guidelines are set by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). An X-ray screener does not operate an X-ray machine alone, but uses many detection devices. Air Safe lists three levels of training, from a beginning to advanced screener.
Features
Half of screener training focuses on the use of detection devices and machines. A trainee is instructed on operate the X-ray machine, and use the software program that filters the transparent images. There is instruction in the use of hand-held and walk-through metal detectors. The other part of training focuses on human eye and hand detection, which comes through physical baggage checks and passenger pat-downs. Throughout both portions of training, a screener is instructed on human behavior and suspicious actions.
Qualifications
Federal Aviation Regulations requires a screener to have a high school or general equivalency diploma. There is also a regulation that requires a background check to be performed on each trainee. A trainee will only be disqualified if the background check finds within someone's criminal history a reason for insanity, or a mental trait that could lead to job interference. Air Safe does state that, according to the Federal Regulations, having been convicted for a crime is not an automatic disqualification.
Time Frame
There is not a set amount of time to complete online training courses. The training company may supply recommended times, with the average length of a complete course being 40 to 60 hours. The time to complete classroom sessions can range between one day, of about eight hours, to a week of instruction for training in single devices, such as hand-held scanners, up to a multiple-week, more extensive, program.
Cost
The average fee for a day of instruction is between $250 and $500. Full training courses can be as much as $1,500. These courses are offered through private companies, such as Quadratica, or can be found through training announcements on site forums, such as that found on X-Ray Screener.
Job Outlook and Salary
There is a projected increase of 14 percent to 19 percent in the number of transportation security officers from 2008 to 2018. This increase is stated by the Bureau of Labor Statistics as being faster than average. The average hourly wage is $14 and the yearly salary around $29,000.
Considerations
As X-ray and detection technology advances, so does the training required for the screener position. A screener, who is at level 1, 2, or 3, must be retrained yearly, to account for any advance in technology.
Tags: background check, detection devices, operate X-ray, operate X-ray machine, screener training
