I-CAR announced the launch of the second level of coursework covering ProLevel 2 requirements of the Production Management Role curriculum. This new set of courses will enable those who manage shop production to improve their efficiencies, critical thinking and problem-solving skills to ultimately drive more powerful and profitable business practices.
The new curriculum is part of I-CAR’s Professional Development Program and builds on the ProLevel 1 curriculum for Production Management that was introduced in 2015. Registration opens July 11th for the courses, which will be delivered in one of three ways: online training, in-classroom courses or computer-based courses offering virtual interaction with live instructors.
Shop owners, estimators, technicians and lead technicians can begin their ProLevel 2 training with no prerequisites. For many of the courses, they can enter the curriculum path at the point designated for their specific role in their shop, or they can take the courses after completing ProLevel 1. New this year, there are now fewer ProLevel 1 prerequisites.
“The Production Management Role can be tailored to anyone involved in the production management process,” said Josh McFarlin, I-CAR director of curriculum and product development. “It can help guide those responsible for aspects of shop production in driving efficiency, advancing key performance indicators and improving the bottom line.”
The ProLevel 2 curriculum is designed to build upon the skills students learn through ProLevel 1 courses or through I-CAR-designated individual course entry points. This flexible course pathway offers the right training technicians and estimators need to get the job done, leading to an opportunity to continue building upon annual education.
The ProLevel 1 program focuses on creating a learning culture in the repair facility, establishing a sound production process, and developing the team and the business. The specific courses ensure the right people are assigned to each repair job, establishing and synchronizing workflow, problem solving, strengthening quality and optimizing operations. In comparison, ProLevel 2 will expand on these foundational skills, bringing new perspectives to developing talent and business acumen, boosting efficiencies and better understanding production management’s role in the financial success of the business. The ProLevel 2 curriculum is the result of extensive industry input and collaboration with production managers, shop owners and experts in the industry.
“The industry’s response to the Production Management Role ProLevel 1 courses has confirmed the need for industry-defined shop production process training and the importance of efficient shop management,” said John Van Alstyne, CEO and president of I-CAR. “This program is different than our core technical training in that it deals with the shop-wide repair process, from ‘keys to keys.’ Effective production management drives complete, safe and quality repairs; it drives operational KPIs like cycle time; and it impacts customer satisfaction. Our latest curriculum offering equips individuals that manage and direct the repair process with the knowledge and skills required to elevate business performance.”
Across both ProLevels, the Production Management program equips collision repair personnel with the ability to improve business processes, including root-cause analysis, process mapping and other methodologies to overcome workflow deficiencies and gain a competitive edge.
Underlying the Production Management Role program is an emphasis on building a learning culture within the collision repair shop. I-CAR states that shops that possess a learning culture place value on training and education as a strategy to gain competitive advantage and to prepare their team for the approaching “Technical Tsunami” of complex vehicles built with new materials and technologies that require new levels of knowledge and skills to execute complete, safe and quality repairs in the years ahead.
