Garage door industry magazine for garage door dealers, garage door manufacturers, garage door distributors, garage door installers, loading docks, garage door operators and openers, gates, and tools for the door industry.
Issue link: https://idoi.epubxp.com/i/134362
institute of Door Dealer education and Accreditation News&EvEnts; FAQs on CEUs By Todd Thomas IDEA announced last year that beginning with this year's renewals, certifcation programs would add the CEU requirement that has long been in place for Accredited Dealers. All certifed installers, technicians and door dealer consultants would be required to earn 9 hours of continuing education in each three-year certifcation period. We are pleased at the response to this new requirement. Almost without exception, those who have contacted IDEA with questions about this new requirement have commented that they think it adds a lot of value and strengthens the credentialing programs. We agree, and that is why the IDEA leadership adopted the CEU component. However, there have been a LOT of questions, and the following are among the most frequently asked. Where do we go to get CEUs? Continuing education credits can be earned anywhere education is offered, including the IDA Expo, regional conferences, manufacturer conferences or other associationsponsored events that provide educational programming. We realize, however, that these opportunities are not always accessible to all certifed technicians, and that it is diffcult for them to take costly out-of-town trips for purposes of earning these credits. I have more than one certifcation. Do I need 9 hours of CEUs for each of them? No. Any CEU earned would apply to all certifcations. Whether you have one certifcation or you are a Master Technician with all four of the door industry certifcations, you are required to earn 9 hours per credentialing period. Note, however, that not all of your certifcation terms are going to renew at the same time, so you will need to keep an eye on that aspect of it. However, our outstanding Administrative Manager Debra Welhener will help remind you of any upcoming renewals for which CEUs are needed. How do I document that I earned CEUs? As a result, we will permit up to three (3) of the hours each certifcation period to be in-house training, and that can include use of the new IDA Toolbox Talk Series that will be introduced July 1, 2013. Manufacturers who offer training at the dealer level are qualifed as CEU-eligible, and frst aid/ CPR, manlift and forklift training and any other trade-related educational activity would qualify. First, it should be noted that educational programming at Expo is reported through the simple completion of a CEU card, which are available inside the seminar rooms. So, if you are fortunate enough to be able to attend the IDA Expo and participate in the educational programming, it's as easy as flling out the simply CEU card and dropping it in a box in the back of the room. One card per day is all that's required. Additionally, IDEA and IDA are partnering to deliver online training beginning later this year. There will be much more information available on this in the upcoming issues of this publication, but there will be ample content on the IDA Education website, at a low cost, to enable anyone to earn their CEU hours without regard to their location. Outside of Expo, if you attend an actual formal class, and you receive a certifcate of completion, we would simply need a copy of that certifcate, along with any of the following information that isn't evident from the certifcate: Name of class, duration of the class, date attended, instructor and location. This is the information we need on any other Continued on page 70 66 International Door & Operator Industry™