After closely analyzing all live delivery courses, I-CAR is introducing a new National Scheduling initiative to deliver its 22 live Professional Development Program courses in every national market.
The 22 live courses, along with a variety of additional online and virtual courses, form the foundation of I-CAR’s Gold Class recognition.
When National Scheduling is launched in January 2018, course scheduling will transition from an on-demand basis to an established cadence, I-CAR said.
Courses will be offered based upon the specific demand in each market. Consequently, courses in larger markets will be offered several times annually, while those in rural markets will be offered on a more limited basis.
“I-CAR strongly encourages collision repair shops to begin looking at 2018 course schedules immediately in order to plan their future training needs,” said Nick Notte, I-CAR’s senior vice president – sales and marketing. “This is especially important for shops renewing their Gold Class recognition so that they can ensure the courses they need to satisfy Gold Class requirements are available to them prior to expiration of their Gold Class status.”
In conjunction with National Scheduling, more than 225 I-CAR official training sites have been established to date at career and technical education schools, as well as at supplier locations, to facilitate delivery of I-CAR courses nationwide, I-CAR noted. The sites were selected based on their geographic location to serve students with consistent and convenient learning environments, while providing access to shop floors, parking and audio/visual equipment for instruction, according to I-CAR.
The move to a formal scheduling cadence will give shops a more effective way to plan and schedule their training, I-CAR said. National Scheduling, in tandem with the establishment of I-CAR official training sites, also will create “a consistent and enhanced learning environment for students and teachers alike.”
“As we prepare to train the next 10,000 shops, course schedules in every region will be critical in ensuring accessible live delivery training for all existing and future students,” said Bill Stage, I-CAR’s director – delivery. “I-CAR thanks its partners for their participation, as well as our many volunteers and instructors for their support in launching this innovative program.”
I-CAR said it developed the National Scheduling program after conducting extensive market-by-market research and analysis of training needs. The framework from the research helped shape the National Scheduling program.
The 2018 course schedules continue to be posted. They can be viewed and course registrations made using the “Class Search” tool on the I-CAR homepage. For assistance or questions about National Scheduling, contact I-CAR Customer Care at (800) 422-7872.
