Breaking Barriers to Employment: How ESCT Is Helping Guards Succeed
- Owens Shepard
- Oct 16
- 3 min read
At Enterprise Security Consulting and Training Inc. (ESCT), we believe that opportunity should never be limited by circumstance. For many individuals entering or re-entering the workforce, the challenges of transportation, training costs, childcare, and language can create real obstacles to success.
To address these barriers, ESCT has launched several key initiatives designed to help our team members start strong and stay successful. Among these are the Guard Transportation Assistance Program (GTAP), the GuardStart Sponsorship Program, and our continued efforts to expand access through childcare support and multilingual communication.
Supporting Our Team Through GTAP
Reliable transportation is essential for every security professional. Missing a shift does not only affect the guard, it also impacts our clients and our reputation for reliability. The Guard Transportation Assistance Program (GTAP) provides short-term transportation assistance to employees who experience verified and unforeseen transportation challenges.
Through this program, ESCT may provide temporary bus passes, rideshare credits, or other approved assistance to ensure employees can get to work safely and on time. GTAP reflects ESCT’s commitment to helping dedicated team members overcome short-term challenges and remain employed.
GuardStart: A Smarter Way to Begin Your Security Career
The cost of training, licensing, and fingerprinting can be a major barrier for those starting a career in security. ESCT created the GuardStart Initiative to make professional entry more accessible.
GuardStart covers the initial cost of required security guard training, fingerprinting, and state registration, allowing new recruits to begin their careers without financial strain. Participants then repay a portion of these costs through payroll deduction over several pay periods, making the program self-sustaining and accessible to more people.
In addition, GuardStart participants complete their 16-Hour On-the-Job Training and Annual Refresher Courses through ESCT at a discounted rate, ensuring consistency, compliance, and continued professional growth.
Addressing Childcare as a Workforce Barrier
ESCT recognizes that many working parents struggle to find affordable childcare, especially those with nontraditional work hours. To help address this challenge, ESCT is working with community partners and exploring new partnerships to develop access to low-cost, 24-hour childcare options that support both employees and community members who work overnight or extended shifts.
By pursuing collaborative childcare solutions, ESCT is helping eliminate one of the most persistent barriers that prevent qualified individuals from maintaining steady employment and advancing their careers.
Communicating Across Languages
ESCT proudly serves a diverse workforce. To ensure every employee can understand expectations and perform with confidence, we are actively translating post orders, training materials, and key policies into other languages, including Spanish and Urdu.
Clear communication is a matter of safety, professionalism, and respect. By making our materials multilingual, ESCT ensures that language differences never stand in the way of opportunity, understanding, or success.
Building a Pathway to Long-Term Success
Together, these programs reflect ESCT’s broader mission to remove barriers to employment and create pathways for long-term success in the security industry. By investing in our people through transportation assistance, training access, childcare collaboration, and multilingual communication, we are building stronger employees and safer communities.
At ESCT, we believe that success requires more than opportunity. It requires support, access, and the tools to grow. Through GTAP, GuardStart, and our continued efforts to meet the real needs of our workforce, we are proud to stand beside our employees every step of the way.
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