In a recently released video by I-CAR, the organization’s CEO and President John Van Alystne provided updates on the progress of its enhanced education and recognition program, and the supporting systems and technology platform.
I-CAR has been working for several years now to enhance every task performed by the organization, which includes curriculum, recognition requirements and overall user experience. The announcement regarding the plan to launch the enhancements was made at NACE Automechanika Atlanta in 2018 by Van Alystne.
According to Van Alystne, I-CAR embarked on this project to address the rapid changes in the automotive industry and the corresponding changes required to perform quality vehicle repairs.
The company stated that although most of the work has been successfully completed due to the resources deployed across the organization by I-CAR, the launch has been delayed due to IT system challenges.
“We recognize the great frustration that this delay has caused for I-CAR’s customers and the industry, as well as for us. I want to apologize for the inconvenience and headaches this may be causing,” said Van Alystne. “Our team will continue to share updates with the industry about the launch and the timing.”
He noted that having seen what the future I-CAR experience looks like, the organization is excited to launch the new systems, which is expected to happen in the next quarter of this year.
At present, I-CAR is working towards integrating over 5 million historical student training records from its current system to its new Learning Management System (LMS).
Van Alystne also noted that over the past few months, the organization has been able to notice the positive impact of its new programing systems. According to him, the new systems have allowed I-CAR to streamline the delivery process, which has resulted in greater responsiveness and better customer experience.
I-CAR has finalized new business rules, such as changes to Gold and Platinum Class recognitions. I-CAR customers have been notified regarding the changes. The organization has been noticing industry adoption and implementation of its new unlimited live online and virtual training subscription which can be accessed by Gold Class shops. By June this year, 28% of its Gold Class shops have subscribed to this.
“Please keep training so you can stay on track to maintain your Platinum and Gold Class status as nearly all required training counts towards your future requirements,” suggested Van Alystne.
He also stated that I-CAR has completed, tested and uploaded its new enhanced curriculum into the new LMS. The organization plans to operate 266 classes soon, a significant increase from its current 164 classes.
To help customers with a smoother transition, I-CAR instructor training in the new curriculum, as well as PDP program training across its team are already underway.
“Once I-CAR deploys the new systems, the learning and business process environment for our customers will improve with an entirely new line of interface experience. This includes a user-friendly training manager experience, online tests for live classes, which means no more scantron forms, a mobile training app, an enhanced website learning experience for users and a much-improved course registration process,” added Van Alystne.
The full video of the update announcement is available here.
