I-CAR updates Insurance Gold Class program based on industry input

I-CAR®, the Inter-Industry Conference on Auto Collision Repair, has recognized 12 insurance organizations with the Insurance Gold Class™ designation at the corporate level. These organizations have achieved Gold Class recognition under the comprehensive training requirements of I-CAR’s flagship Professional Development Program™. These businesses include Allstate Insurance Company, Amica Insurance, AMRO, Bear River Mutual of Murray, Chubb Group, Erie Insurance, Esurance, Federated Mutual, Meemic, MetLife Auto & Home, South Carolina Farm Bureau, and USAA. To encourage more insurers to pursue Gold Class recognition and increase the overall level of training within the industry, I-CAR has introduced enhancements to its Insurance Gold Class program. I-CAR CEO & President, John Van Alstyne explains, “Changes were developed based on insurer feedback and are meant to more flexibly accommodate employee turnover and better align Gold Class requirements with an employee’s actual tasks and career development plans.” Businesses that have been recognized as Gold Class have proven their commitment to customers and the industry by providing their staff with training opportunities that can equip them with the knowledge and skills needed to continuously provide accurate first-time estimates, increase operating efficiencies, and ultimately, improve customer satisfaction. Van Alstyne adds, “Enhancements to program requirements support flexibility in managing employee development, which will allow employees to advance in ProLevel status as their job duties require command of more advanced knowledge areas.”

The updated training requirements require fewer appraiser staff to achieve I-CAR ProLevel® 2 and 3, but more appraisers will be required to achieve at least I-CAR ProLevel® 1 status.
Program enhancements were initially communicated in January 2013 at the Collision Industry Conference (CIC) meeting in Palm Springs, California. I-CAR has continued to provide additional details on program updates during three Regional Conferences throughout the first quarter in South Padre Island, Anaheim, and Fort Lauderdale. 500+ Inter-Industry
members were present at the Regional Conferences and I-CAR is continuing to proactively communicate this important news with the industry at large.

Insurers interested in learning more about achieving or renewing the Insurance Gold Class designation should visit http://icar.com/insurancegoldclass. This webpage provides essential information on the program, including a user-friendly view of new program requirements, frequently asked questions, how to get started, and the Gold Class application. Also on this
page is a recorded, on-demand webinar. Randy May, I-CAR Director – Segment Development, describes the Insurance Gold Class program, its benefits, and available customer support tools to plan and track training during the webinar.

I-CAR, founded in 1979, is an international not-for-profit training organization dedicated to improving the quality, safety, and efficiency of auto collision repair for the ultimate benefit of consumers. www.i-car.com

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