Since early March, I-CAR has taken a series of steps to protect the industry, their students, instructors and employees. This began with the cancellation of their annual conference in early March. In mid-March, I-CAR instituted controls, then a complete pause in delivery of live and in-shop training events, and provided credentialing renewal relief with automatic 30-day extensions.

Today, I-CAR announced further COVID-19 “industry relief” action steps, plans and updated policies designed to best support everyone within the collision repair industry during this trying period.

I-CAR’s COVID-19 Industry Relief Program is grounded in understanding the substantial impact the industry is experiencing as a result of the pandemic, emphasizing the role of ensuring the health and safety of all, while also allowing individuals and businesses to maintain credentialing status in a viable manner and with program integrity.

Actions, plans and policy updates starting May 1, 2020 include:

Rescheduling Live and In-Shop Training Events

With a goal of ensuring the health and safety interests of all:

• I-CAR will further pause delivery of live and in-shop welding training and certification/Hands-On Skills Development/In-Shop Knowledge Assessment training events until June 15, 2020. In-shop event delivery levels are expected to accelerate as Q3 progresses, with full capacity in place by Q4 2020, contingent on industry demand.
• As such, live and in-shop events currently scheduled through end of May into early June will be rescheduled for dates beginning June 15.

Online and Virtual Training Continues with Strong Demand

I-CAR continues to offer the full suite of their on-line and virtual training, which they fully expect to continue delivering without impact. “Virtual” is I-CAR’s instructor-led, web-based delivery format. Over the past month, I-CAR acted swiftly to convert four high-demand and required PDP live, instructor-led courses to a virtual format, giving shops continued training options until it is safe to once again deliver live and in-shop training events. The four converted live courses currently being delivered in a virtual format include:

• Capturing Quality Photos Coordinate the Repair Process
• Coordinate the Repair Process
• The Art and Science of Estimator Interactions
• Understanding the Cycle Time Process

2020 Credentialing Renewals Related to Gold Class, Platinum and Welding Training & Certification

These are being adjusted to align with training delivery plans:

• All current Platinum individuals and Gold Class businesses with an extension or renewal through April 30, 2020 will be granted renewal relief. These individuals and businesses will have until July 31, 2020 to complete all required live (now converted into virtual instructor-led web-based delivery format), online and virtual training. For those with welding training and certification renewal requirements, this will be deferred to their 2021 renewal date.
• All current Platinum individuals and Gold Class businesses with renewal dates between May and September 2020 will have until Sept. 30, 2020 to complete all required live (again now available in virtual instructor-led web-based delivery format), online and virtual training. For those with welding training and certification renewal requirements, this will be deferred to their 2021 renewal date.
• Consistent with the above, all individuals with welding training and certification renewal date through September 2020 will have their welding training and certification deferred to their 2021 renewal date.

We’re In This Together

“Everyone in the collision repair industry has been impacted by COVID-19,” said Nick Notte, senior vice president of sales and marketing for I-CAR. “We feel for the collision industry at this difficult time. It is our sincere desire to help the industry get through this.”

Notte shared that these difficult times have extended to I-CAR as well. Like many organizations, I-CAR enacted layoffs and furloughs, reduced expenses at all levels and paused other employee benefits.

“We are feeling the impact of the virus just as many of you are,” he said. “As we manage these difficult times together, we hope you’ve been hearing about a series of free and discounted training options through I-CAR’s Industry Relief Program.”

I-CAR began launching a series of promotional offerings in March, with plans to roll out additional relief options over the coming weeks.

Details on I-CAR’s Industry Relief Program, as well as important updates related to their new and recently launched training, credentialing requirements and customer support systems (PDP 2.0 and a new learning experience) will be shared during a virtual industry update by John Van Alstyne on May 6 at 3 p.m. CST. Join here, no registration is required. Further information can be found online at I-CAR’s Supporting Every information page.

We’re here to help, and as you do, we look forward to getting back to business,” said Notte. “We know the industry and I-CAR will come back strong.”