I-CAR® Wins SEMA New Product Award for I-CAR Academy, Named Runner-Up for RTS App in 2024 Collision Repair & Refinish Category

I-CAR® is honored to receive top awards for I-CAR Academy and its RTS App in the 2024 SEMA Collision Repair & Refinish category. 

LAS VEGAS, Nov. 6, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- I-CAR®, the industry leader for technical educational programming, related technical services, and industry talent solutions, proudly announces a dual achievement at the 2024 SEMA Show in Las Vegas. I-CAR's new Academy entry-level technician success programming has been awarded the SEMA Best New Product Award in the Collision Repair & Refinish category, the largest of the 18 Showcase categories with over 300 submissions. This milestone underscores the organization's commitment to advancing technician education, and in turn, helping to solve the industry's pervasive talent crisis.

Additionally, the recently launched RTS (Repairability Technical Support) App earned the honor of runner-up in the same category for its role in delivering practical, on-demand technical information and resources to repair professionals.  

Dara Goroff, I-CAR VP Planning & GM Talent Programming, accepted the SEMA New Product Award during a ceremony on November 5 at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas: "Receiving the SEMA Best New Product Award for I-CAR Academy is both exciting and validating," said Goroff. "Our team worked tirelessly to create a program that builds foundational entry-level technician knowledge and skills, while also enhancing related onboarding and retention success in shops across the nation."

I-CAR Academy curriculum is designed for both schools and shops, equipping new technicians with relevant, consistent, high-quality training from day one in their career journey. Additionally available for shops is mentor programming and people and culture best practices that are critical to early technician success and which contribute to improved technician retention. Further programming elements for both schools and shops remain in development for 2025 and beyond.

"This award brings the vision Clark Plucinski, then CREF Executive Director, and I defined nearly a decade ago, and on which development started two-years ago," said John Van Alstyne, CEO & President of I-CAR. "Watching I-CAR Academy, and our broader Talent Programming initiative, grow from concept to reality has been deeply gratifying. Today, schools and shops nationwide are able to provide the relevant and quality training that entry-level technicians need to perform complete, safe and quality repairs."

Van Alstyne continued, "And our RTS App earning runner-up is a testament to our mission of providing real-time technical support to technicians at their time of need, right in the palm of their hand. These SEMA awards reflect our dedication to leading the collision repair industry forward." 

Since the initial launch of I-CAR Academy curriculum for Schools in June 2024 and I-CAR Academy for Shops in August 2024, the program has expanded to include 470 schools and shops across the country, with already more than 220,000 lesson completions to date. The curriculum covers five foundational learning areas, preparing technicians to advance to I-CAR's Professional Development Program and Platinum™ designation. Each unit combines online learning with hands-on skills reinforcement, creating an engaging, gamified environment that promotes and rewards learner progress. 

I-CAR's RTS website, introduced in June 2014, serves collision repair professionals with resources like OEM Partial Part Replacement guidelines, OEM Calibration Requirements, technical news, and industry best practices. In 2023, the RTS site received over 5 million visits and our technical support team responded directly to more than 3,000 Ask I-CAR inquiries. The RTS App, launched in April 2024, now brings these essential services directly to industry professionals' fingertips, providing even greater accessibility which can have real-time positive impact on proper repairs. The RTS app has already surpassed 6,000 downloads. 

The SEMA New Product Awards competition celebrates exceptional advancements in products launched within the automotive specialty-equipment market showcased at the SEMA Show. Products are evaluated across 18 award categories, with each category awarding one winner and two runners-up. Judging criteria includes innovation excellence, technical performance, quality and craftsmanship, consumer appeal, marketability, and additional factors. 

About I-CAR: 
Founded in 1979, I-CAR is a not-for-profit education, knowledge, and solutions organization designed to support the evolving needs of the Collision Repair Inter-Industry. I-CAR, which is accredited by IACET (The International Accreditors for Continuing Education and Training) is focused on improving the quality and safety of auto collision repair for the ultimate benefit of both the industry and the consumer. For more information, please visit www.i-car.com. 

SOURCE I-CAR