Page 28 - Australasian Paint & Panel Nov-Dec 2019

Tech Talk
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PAINT&PANEL NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2019 WWW.PAINTANDPANEL.COM.AU
ANY TIME TRAINING
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I-CAR HAS BEEN WORKING ON PRODUCING A SERIES OF NEW COURSES THAT WILL FORM THE BASIS OF THE NEW PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM, SAYS CEO MARK CZVITKOVITS
HIS NEW PDP 2.0 WILL BE
introduced over the coming months with full implemen- tation by January 2021. The program will address not only current skills and knowledge for the specific roles in the collision repair industry but will also extend offerings to cater for production management and electronic diagnostic technicians as well as provid- ing valuable ongoing knowledge to assist technicians in performing safe, complete and quality repairs to damaged vehicles. The new PDP 2.0 program has already addressed changes to the welding certifi- cation that brings the recertification and training paths more in line with OEM recommendations and as such, the I- CAR welding certification is being recog- nised by an increasing number of OEMs
both in Australia and internationally. All current Australian students now have access to I-CAR’s new online train- ing. This development is part of the new strategy for training being introduced to
improve the skills and knowledge require- ments for collision repair professionals. This delivery platform will enable techni- cians to access new courses 24/7.
As part of the new PDP 2.0 evolution, this first release will include 22 new on- line courses. These courses will cover the most relevant current repair topics includ- ing advanced driver assist systems (ADAS), new vehicle technologies and electronic diagnostics. These topics are having an impact on collision repairs globally and many of our collision repair professionals have little or no understand- ing of the complexity of these new tech- nologies. As part of the rollout, there will also be a specific training pathway for production managers. The majority of courses run for approximately 1 hour with a post test at the conclusion of each course.
The new courses will provide the on- going annual training requirement for estimators, structural and non-structur- al technicians and assessors as well as production managers.
A number of older I-CAR courses will be archived and replaced with newer and more interactive ones. These cours- es are designed to give students the skills needed to enhance their knowl- edge of collision repair without having to take time away from the shop.
The new course details will be avail- able for review through the new course catalogue page at i-car.com.au/course- catalogue/ where courses can now also be selected by name, subject or role requirements.
The transformation of our industry de- mands more than training courses to just tick the box, it requires training solutions to meet the complex repair needs of today’s advanced vehicles. The growing number of Gold Class businesses, their recognition by insurers and OEMs, are proof of the bene- fits of knowledge, excellence and perfor- mance for these repairers to stay abreast of the rapid industry change. I-CAR is now recognised as the industry benchmark for training and contributes to industry con- sistency, uniformity and efficiencies for all stakeholders, while also contributing to the industry’s objective of complete, safe and quality repairs.
The new online training will deliver on demand training solutions that meet the needs of businesses and technicians alike. I-CAR’s live and virtual classrooms will continue to be available for those who enjoy the instructor interaction of more traditional training methods. In combination with hands-on training and welding certification, I-CAR training will help take your business to the next level in understanding and meeting the com- plexities to deliver complete, safe and quality repairs for your customers and thrive into the future.