I-CAR announced it is working with leading insurers such as USAA to help infuse the information, knowledge and skills necessary into the industry workforce to perform complete, safe and quality repairs.
USAA, one of the top 10 property and casualty insurers in the U.S., uses I-CAR’s program and has committed to training 100 percent of its Auto Physical Damage Appraisers (APDAs) to achieve the Platinum ProLevel 1 designation for ongoing, role-relevant training from I-CAR. To date, 96 percent of USAA’s appraisers have achieved the designation – more than any insurer.
“We applaud USAA for its commitment to training, in the face of the technical tsunami of new vehicles, materials and technology that are being introduced,” said Elise Quadrozzi, director, Segment Development – Insurance, I-CAR. “The company’s dedication to embracing advanced collision repair processes has created a learning culture that will create a level of trust and confidence with their customers that goes beyond just dollars and cents.”
As part of its Platinum recognition program, I-CAR provides material damage insurance professionals with a roadmap to help them stay current with ever-changing technical skills and knowledge. Platinum designation utilizes a training system comprising three progressive ProLevel stages of education – foundational, intermediate and advanced – with role-relevant annual maintenance training required thereafter to sustain the designation.
According to James Spears, assistant vice president, claims, USAA, his company’s experience with and commitment to I-CAR’s Platinum designation made it an easy decision to embrace some technical training that would be required for the aluminum-intensive 2015 Ford F-150 truck, which requires significantly different collision-repair processes.
Recently, USAA and I-CAR met with Ford Motor Company repairability engineers to discuss industry training needs for repairing aluminum-intensive vehicles. One development from the meeting was the Ford F-150 Structural Repair Training Course, called FOR06.
“USAA insures a large number of F-150 pickups, so it’s important to us that, when an accident occurs, our appraisers have the necessary skills and knowledge to accurately estimate needed parts and procedures and the repair timeline to safely repair the vehicle,” Spears said. “These details all impact how satisfied our members or claimants will be with the overall repair.”
After this meeting, USAA made a commitment to train 100 percent of its already Platinum ProLevel-trained ADPAs in I-CAR’s FOR06 course. These new techniques often require advanced tools, equipment and specialized technical knowledge. The FOR06 course also helps USAA’s Platinum ProLevel appraisers maintain their designation, as well as the company’s Insurance Gold Class business status.
