The Society of Collision Repair Specialists
Missouri / Kansas Chapter
Ask Chuck! Chuck Sulkala Answers SCRS MO-KAN Members Questions
The FIRST Chapter of SCRS National
At the October, 2008 SCRS MO-KAN Membership meeting, time didn't allow a number of questions to be fully addressed. Our guest speaker, Chuck Sulkala promised to get back to us with full answers which follow.
Q. If someone is taking a class with an Alliance member and getting ICAR points, who handles the paperwork so that the points get credited, and how long does it take between the time of the class and when the credits will appear?
A. The instructor in the Alliance class has paperwork that must be filled out. This must be completed by the student and sent to I-CAR for processing. Once received the information is confirmed and processed. Due to I-CAR confirming the information with the Alliance company, it often takes three weeks to process before the student sees credit on their records. We are working to improve this process with hopes of shortening this time to process.
Q. Since some classes have differing point values, how do we arrive at what value of points are assigned to each class? Is this at all related to the length of the class?
A. The formula is simply one I-CAR Gold Class/Platinum point for every four hours of class time.
Q. How many gold class locations are there and how many Collision Repair Facilities are Gold Class?
A. Typically there is over 3,000 Gold Class businesses in North America at any given time and over 90% of them are collision repairers.
Q. Is it true that online classes will cost more than classes that are conducted in a classroom setting?
A. This was expressed to several people from someone at State Farm. The online classes represent a ¼ Gold Class/Platinum point as it relates to the early formula that I-CAR awards one point for each four hours of training. Since the typical online program takes from 45 minutes to one hour to complete the point awarded is consistent. When online programs are viewed strictly around obtaining Gold Class/Platinum the “price per point is higher”. The voice of the industry however has been heard by I-CAR around online pricing and is on management’s radar to review and improve.
Q. Is there a plan to put all ICAR classes on line?
A. No- simply due to the nature of many technical subjects we teach and the learning methods of the industry, it would be difficult to accomplish without severely compromising the quality of the learning experience.
Q. It appears that no classes have been scheduled in the KC marketplace between now and the end of the year. Who is the primary one responsible for setting up or scheduling classes? Is it the shops calling to ask for specific classes or is it the committee that looks to run classes, or is it ICAR staff that recognizes that certain classes have not been taken and therefore probably need to be run?
A. Our record indicate the KC I-CAR committee recently completed a series of programs and has just submitted another series to I-CAR for publication on our website so you should see the schedule soon. We have strong support in the KC area from our volunteer committee and would like to emphasis our appreciation to them for their volunteer work to bring training to that area. We are always looking for volunteers willing to assist us in providing high quality, consistent, and timely training at the lowest possible price to their local industry.
Webmaster Note: Thanks again to Chuck Sulkala for giving so generously of his valuable time!
