About I-CAR - Current Events/News: E-newsletter: 2006 E-newsletter Archives: November 27, 2006

I-CAR has launched the new I-CAR Mobile Qualification Test (MQT) program and the trucks are now available to deliver all three industry recognized qualification tests to individual business sites.

Currently, I-CAR has MQT trucks covering the following areas in the U.S. and Canada:

Atlanta, GA based MQT truck: AL, FL, GA, NC, SC, TN, VA
Chicago, IL based MQT truck: IA, IL, IN, KY, MI, MN, OH, WI
Oklahoma City, OK based MQT truck: AR, KS, LA, MO, MS, OK, TX
Ridgeway, ON based MQT truck: MB, ON

If you are interested in hosting a MQT or have employees in need of completing a qualification test, please send I-CAR MQT Scheduler/Dispatcher Victor Krismalian your contact information at mqtinfo@i-car.com.

I-CAR is currently looking for qualified candidates for MQT Program Drivers/Administrator positions in Los Angeles, CA; Denver, CO; Boise, ID; and the Northeast (NJ, PA, or MA). A detailed position description and application instructions are available online.

WAIT OR APPLY NOW? UNDERSTANDING HOW THE GOLD CLASS AND PLATINUM REQUIREMENTS AFFECT YOU

As you have heard, the Gold Class Professionals and Platinum Individual requirements are changing as of January 1, 2007. For some, it will be more beneficial to apply before the end of the 2006 calendar year. For others, it will be advantageous to wait until 2007.

Do you know which category you fall into?

The following provides a general "rule of thumb" in determining what is right for you.

Apply before December 31, 2006 (Gold Class Professionals)

If your employees have already met the position-related point requirements or if all employees have earned 5 points in the last 12 months.
If a majority of your employees’ training is older (generally 2003 and earlier) as this will not be tested training. Only tested training will count towards the designation after January 1, 2007.
Applying before December 31, 2006 means that your business will be grandfathered into the new requirements, and you will not need ongoing training until your 2008 renewal.

Apply after January 1, 2007 (Gold Class Professionals)

If all or most of your employees have earned 5 tested points (but not all in the last 12 months).
If you have not yet started (or just started) working towards the designation.

Apply before December 31, 2006 (Platinum Individual)

If you have already met your position-related point requirement.
If your current position-related point requirement is less than 10.
Applying before December 31, 2006 means that you will be grandfathered into the new requirements, and you will not need ongoing training annually until your 2008 or 2009 renewal (depending on when you join the program).

Apply after January 1, 2007 (Platinum Individual)

If your current position-related point requirement is greater than 10.
If you have just started working towards the designation.

Remember – every situation is unique. I-CAR strongly recommends that you contact customer care (800.422.7872) or your regional manager (800.422.7456) for a personalized analysis of what is right for you or your business. General questions about the changes can also be directed to customer care or your regional manager, or located on the 5&2, 10&2 specific web page.

I-CAR ADDS SPRAY-ON BEDLINERS TO ITS ONLINE TRAINING LIBRARY!

I-CAR has added Spray-On Bedliners to its Online Training library. Spray-on bedliners are a common material used to protect truck beds from damage that may occur from every day use. Spray-on bedliners can be damaged in a collision from the load being carried in the bed, or from the collision repair process, such as replacing a box side. This program provides an in-depth look into the various types of spray-on bedliners available, general application procedures, and common collision damage repair methods.

Topics covered in this program include:

Identifying various types of spray-on bedliners.
Identifying different types of application equipment.
Describing surface preparation steps.
Describing application procedures.
Identifying bedliner repair techniques.

I-CAR Online Training programs are unique and contain content not found in I-CAR Live training. The content is designed to supplement programs listed in the I-CAR training paths.

About I-CAR Online Training:

Allows you to train at your convenience.
Are available 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, 365 days per year.
Are 30-60 minutes in length, allowing you to train over your lunch break.
Include interactive exercises, activities, and quizzes that make them both informative and fun.
Offers the ability to learn at your own pace.
Provide an ongoing reference tool - all purchased programs are stored in your personal Online Training library.
Programs may contain vehicle- or procedure-specific information or general collision repair concepts.
Provides online post tests that let you validate what you have learned.
Offers one-quarter (0.25) of a point upon successful completion of the post test, which may be applied to the Gold Class Professionals and Platinum Individual programs.
Provides an instant certificate of completion that you may print upon successful completion of the post test. Visit I-CAR online for more information, or to participate in a complimentary demo program to see if Online Training is right for you.

GOLD CLASS PROFESSIONALS DESIGNATED BUSINESSES EARN 15 YEARS

An elite group of only 32 businesses has qualified for the Gold Class Professionals designation for 15 consecutive years! I-CAR would like to congratulate and thank the following businesses for their exceptional commitment to collision repair training.

Businesses that have earned 15 consecutive years of the Gold Class Professionals status are listed below in the order that they joined the program:

East Rockford Collision Center	Rockford	IL	8/31/1990
Eric's Auto Center South	Tucson	AZ	8/31/1990
Reds Body Shop	Washington	NJ	10/10/1990
Excel Auto Body Inc	Marion	IN	10/12/1990
Top Service Body Shop	Coos Bay	OR	10/15/1990
Danlar Collision	Albuquerque	NM	11/30/1990
Jackson's Body Shop	Salem	OR	12/5/1990
Collision Plus Inc	Swansea	IL	12/20/1990
Auto Body Unlimited Inc-Simi Valley	Simi Valley	CA	12/31/1990
Florida Auto Body Inc	Fort Lauderdale	FL	1/4/1991
Marshall Auto Body	Waukesha	WI	1/18/1991
Schoonover Bodyworks Inc	St. Paul	MN	1/31/1991
Wicklunds CARSTAR	Liberty	MO	2/7/1991
Crystal Lake Automotive Inc	Lakeville	MN	2/8/1991
B & B Auto Specialties	Fishkill	NY	2/12/1991
Broadway Auto Body Rebuilders Inc	Chicago Heights	IL	3/27/1991
Hayes Chrysler Plymouth	Lawrenceville	GA	3/27/1991
Roth & Miller Autobody Inc	Portland	OR	3/27/1991
Tommy's Auto Body	Albuquerque	NM	4/2/1991
AA Collision Repair Inc	Omaha	NE	5/6/1991
Hunt Auto Body	Fairless Hills	PA	5/8/1991
Wesben Body & Fender	Gwynn Oak	MD	5/13/1991
Master Craft Auto Body of Manassas Park	Manassas Park	VA	5/17/1991
Gapsch's CARSTAR Collision Center	St Louis	MO	5/28/1991
Downtown Garage-Auto Body	Fredericksburg	VA	6/7/1991
Autobody By Caldwell	Laguna Hills	CA	6/20/1991
Advanced Auto Body	Mountain Home	AR	6/24/1991
Car Crafters	Albuquerque	NM	7/8/1991
L W Auto Body	Salt Lake City	UT	7/8/1991
Jerry's Body Shop	Mankato	MN	8/2/1991
Dickerson's Collision Repair Service	Garland	TX	10/7/1991
I-CAR Tech Centre	Appleton	WI	10/21/1991

To view a list of all businesses that have earned the Gold Class Professionals training designation, visit the online Gold Class Business Directory.

I-CAR RECOGNIZES NEW AND LONG-TERM GOLD CLASS BUSINESSES

The following businesses have maintained their Gold Class Professionals designation for at least ten consecutive years as of November 1, 2006. They are listed alphabetically by the region's state or province.

The Gold Class Professionals program welcomed approximately 150 new businesses between September 2, 2006 and November 1, 2006. I-CAR would like to commend these businesses on their commitment to collision repair training.

I-CAR is grateful for the dedication shown by all of its Gold Class Professionals designated businesses, and looks forward to the time when every person in the collision industry has the necessary technical knowledge and skills relevant to their position to achieve complete and safe repairs.

Please note: Gold Class Professionals recognition appears bi-monthly in the I-CAR e-newsletter. The next recognition article will appear in a January 2007 edition.

		I-CAR Gold Class Professionals Business Consecutive 10 or More Years (144K) in Adobe Acrobat Format
		New I-CAR Gold Class Professionals Business (109K) in Adobe Acrobat Format

MY BUSINESS IS GOLD CLASS BECAUSE...

"Education is power and here at Gerald Collision Center, I-CAR training empowers our people to do a quality job."

Edward Seratt is the Body Shop Manager for Gerald Collision Center in Naperville, IL, a Gold Class Professionals designated business since 1998.

I-CAR PARTICIPATES IN "CAREERS WITH CARS" EVENT


	Students seen here learn about measuring.

Last month, Mentors at Work and the California Autobody Association’s East Bay Chapter hosted a Careers with Cars event for over 200 students at Mike’s Auto Body in Concord, California. I-CAR South Pacific region representatives hosted a table at the event and were on hand to answer questions from students.

Most of the students attend schools in the area and take classes to learn how to do body work or how to paint. Others simply wanted to know more about the collision industry and learn how to start a career in the collision industry.


	Others brushed up their welding skills.

"When you go to a collision repair facility and interview for a job, ask them what they are going to do to take you from your entry-level into the industry to becoming a journeyman technician. Who are they going to match you up with to help you learn? How was this "mentor" chosen?” advised Careers with Cars organizer, Mark Claypool. “Do they have a system in place to make this process most efficient and effective? Do they have a plan in place to assist you with getting, or at least using, an entry-level set of tools? If the business doesn’t have answers to these questions, you probably don’t want to go to work for them."

Peter Lock, the head of the transportation department at Contra Costa Community College, said, "I will send graduates to collision repair facilities that have proven they can take a finished product (a student) and effectively move them up the ladder." Lock was also instrumental in the planning of the Careers with Cars event.

As a result of the event, organizers are looking to place 40 students with businesses in the East Bay area of California.

If you would like to coordinate a Careers with Cars event in your market, simply click on www.careerswithcars.com.

PLAN TO ATTEND THE NEW I-CAR INTERNATIONAL ANNUAL MEETING JULY 2007

The industry has spoken and I-CAR has listened. I-CAR will be completely reformatting its upcoming "One Industry, One I-CAR" themed 2007 I-CAR International Annual Meeting taking place in Orlando, Florida from July 26 – 28 at the Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate.

Mark your calendars now for this sensational event! As additional details of the upcoming event are released, they will be posted online.

More information about the hotel and local area can be found at the Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate web site.

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Page Last Revised: Monday, November 27, 2006
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