SEMA Member News -- March/April 2009
WTC
The SEMA Custom Wheel & Tire Specialist Certification Program
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| The SEMA Custom Wheel & Tire Specialist Exam is job-related and designed to measure a candidate’s real-world skills. Certified technicians promote consumer trust and confidence and improve the image of the specialty automotive industry. |
SEMA certification is a voluntary process through which custom wheel and tire technicians may prove their abilities to themselves, their employers and their customers.
By meeting the eligibility criteria and passing a SEMA test, technicians earn a valuable credential, available exclusively to custom wheel and tire specialists.
Certified technicians promote consumer trust and confidence and improve the image of the specialty automotive industry. And because the tests are a true measure of know-how and expertise, certified technicians have the satisfaction of knowing that they are among the elite in their profession—particularly since these credentials are recognized nationwide.
The SEMA Installer Certification Program has been developed in cooperation with the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence. This groundbreaking initiative is the only industry-supported, nationally recognized certification program of its kind. Subject-matter experts representing wheel and tire manufacturers, equipment suppliers, technicians and other industry representatives wrote the Custom Wheel & Tire Specialist Exam with the goal of bringing a higher level of professionalism to technicians and other industry professionals to improve the image of the industry.
The primary objectives of the Installer Certification Program are to elevate the level of quality and professionalism within the specialty automotive industry, enhance the industry’s image and instill consumer confidence to ensure that consumers and new-vehicle dealers have a means of defining a technician’s competency and skill level. In addition, certification furnishes a yardstick by which to measure a company’s commitment to quality and customer satisfaction while also providing for better marketability of the products and services that drive the industry.
The SEMA Custom Wheel & Tire Specialist Exam is job-related and designed to measure a candidate’s real-world skills. All tests are written in a multiple-choice format and are intended to deal with specialty wheel and tire installation, troubleshooting, diagnosis and/or repair with which technicians work on a day-to-day basis.
The SEMA Custom Wheel & Tire Specialist Certification Program requires that test candidates have at least two years of hands-on work experience. The test is offered in May and November at more than 700 test centers nationwide. Technicians who pass the SEMA exam and who meet the work experience requirement will receive credentials from SEMA that are valid for five years. SEMA credentials include a certificate suitable for framing, an insignia and a wallet card.
The benefits of the SEMA Installer Certification Program are both personal and professional. A certified technician receives an impartial, third-party endorsement of his know-how and expertise on a national level. Certification can potentially lead to increased job opportunities and will increase respect, recognition and credibility in the industry and profession. Certification also creates a customer “comfort zone” that reduces concerns over warranty-related issues and provides consumers and new-vehicle dealers with a true measure of a technician’s—and a business owner’s—commitment to quality, excellence and customer satisfaction.
Because certification requires job experience, study and knowledge of changing technology, it instills pride and provides employers with a key benchmarking tool to hire, reward and retain skilled employees. It also delivers a marketing edge—a quality advantage that’s essential to making a business stronger and more competitive.
SEMA certification is a winning proposition for all involved. The next test will be held in May 2009. For more information, test preparation info and to download a registration form, visit www.sema.org/certification.
Recently Certified Wheel and Tire Professionals
- Derek Buchal, American Tire Co.
- Phillip Davidson, American Tire Co.
- Donnie Eagle, Big O Tires
- David Estes, Big O Tires
- David Gibson, American Tire Co.
- David Huffstetler, American Tire Co.
- Thomas Huls, Big O Tires
- Kenneth Lawson, Big O Tires
- Eric McAnulty Sr., Big O Tires
- Gregory McGinnis, American Tire
- Scott Weiss, Konig Wheels