continuing professional education | National Inventory Certification Association

15 Oct 2014

Introducing Continuing Professional Education

The National Inventory Certification Association and the Inventory Institute have co-created the Continuing Professional Education (CPE) program, and are diligently working on additional courses. Designed to help you achieve your NICA certification, and to enhance your knowledge through continued professional development, Continuing Professional Education (CPE) provides options to achieve a depth and/or breadth of the asset inventory industry.

Continuing Education Units (CEUs)

Continuing Education Units are values placed on specific types of knowledge gained through various methods – industry experience, courses, formal education, etc. The CEUs assigned to each will be tabulated toward your efforts to achieve certification.

The NICA courses offered will have assigned CEU values. Four industry-specific courses are currently available:

Inventory 101
Code of Ethics
Residential Inventory
Business Inventory

Time Management, a non-industry course recently was recently released. Additional courses are currently being written and will be added to the curriculum soon.

A survey distributed to inventory industry professionals was beneficial, because their responses have helped determine the subjects as well as the order in which these education modules will be developed. All courses are presented in an online self-paced format so you can fit these key instructional courses into your busy lifestyle.

Course integrity

Courses provided in the Continuing Professional Education program are written by industry professionals who have experience and proven knowledge in their topic area. To ensure integrity of your Certified Inventory Specialist™ designation, all continuing education course exams are created and/or edited by instructional design or education professionals.

All NICA members receive the benefit of a 50% discount off all Continuing Education Courses and the Certification Exam offered through our website.

01 Oct 2014

National Inventory Certification Association Improves Certification Process

To receive Certified Inventory Specialist designation, asset inventory professionals will earn CEUs through life experiences, formal education, and NICA-approved courses.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – The National Inventory Certification Association™ (NICA) has announced improvements to their Certified Inventory Specialist certification process. Creating these revisions for the asset (personal property) inventory industry places NICA’s professional development program within the standards established by the leading association organizations.

Developed by NICA and operated in conjunction with the Inventory Institute, these two professional inventory organizations have established a checks and balances to ensure an ethically developed and managed certification program. This is accomplished through the Inventory Institute determining the prerequisites to achieve certification while NICA develops the education courses to meet those needs.

In addition to passing the required online self-paced courses offered on the NICA website, the candidates will be able to also earn credits for formal education, seminar attendance, military experience, years in business, and other life experiences. These requirements indicate that the asset inventory professional has shown proficiency and skills deemed necessary for a quality inventory service provider. Upon earning the determined number of CEUs, the candidate can apply to take the certification exam to achieve the designation of Certified Inventory Specialist (CIS).

NICA Managing Director, Cindy Hartman, stated, “Our industry is growing. The timing is right to develop a quality, nationally-approved certification program to help bring cohesiveness and accountability to the asset inventory industry. An inventory professional will benefit by being affiliated with these two organizations and agreeing to conduct business according to the industry standard Code of Ethics. Achieving their CIS certification will gain them additional recognition as a leader in the industry.”

Non-members can also apply for and achieve CIS designation. All NICA members receive the benefit of a 50% discount on all Continuing Education Courses and the Certification Exam.

Remaining within the guidelines of association industry standards, Certified Members will be required to meet a set number of CEUs to renew certification every two (2) years.

19 Sep 2014

Code of Ethics Course Now Available

One of the requirements to achieve certification as a Certified Inventory Specialist is to complete the Code of Ethics course. Included in this course is a statement that you agree to conduct business according to the standards established by the Inventory Institute and the National Inventory Certification Association and approved by the Board of Directors.

A strong Code of Ethics is the foundation that helps to ensure that all members conduct business built on the same set of principles. This online, self-paced course defines the values under which all members of these two organizations will conduct business. It is our hope that this standard serves as a guideline for those inventory industry professionals who are not members of either organization as well.

These standard business practices guide business decisions and also encourage the culture under which all interactions are performed by asset inventory professionals and their company representatives. The inventory business owner affirms to oversee employees and sub-contractors to ensure they adhere to this established Code of Ethics.

The catalyst for this agreed-upon conduct is to ensure a reputable and respected industry, as well as to enable a comfort level for all members to confidently refer business to others. The course topics are:

Professionalism

Promote professionalism through products, services, and interaction with others.
Fulfill all obligations in a respectful and business-like manner.
Conduct business in a manner that will not denigrate this industry or other inventory professionals.
Support all industry professionals for the common good of the industry.
Promote competency and professionalism through continuing education.

Integrity

Display honesty and integrity in all business and personal relationships.
Answer all questions truthfully and honestly prior to, during, and after services rendered.
Offer services only for which I am qualified, and make every effort to refer a service professional for those I cannot perform.
Promote and advertise services honestly.
Respect the intellectual property of others and not use this proprietary information without permission.

Confidentiality

Honor the trust expected of an inventory professional.
Take precautions to maintain all customer information in a secure manner.
Do not disclose information about customers (i.e., data, photos, reports, etc.), in verbal or written form.
Do not sell, share, trade, or otherwise provide customer databases to other companies or individuals.
Publish customer testimonials only with their written consent.

Customer Service

Serve customers with respect and courtesy.
Arrive at the scheduled time, prepared to complete the task promptly and efficiently.
Complete all projects within the agreed-upon timeframe and deliver the finished product on time and in the format expected.
Place customers’ needs first.
Strive to exceed customer expectations.

Our members receive a member discount on this and all courses offered by NICA.

29 May 2014

Remodeling and Adding On

When a house is not large enough, people add a room or rooms to serve their needs. When a house is needing improvements, whether structural, functional, or cosmetic, the owners often remodel. Both adding on and remodeling projects require a lot of planning, investing, and having a plan so the effort has a purpose and serves a need.

The National Inventory Certification Association has just completed projects that can be categorized as adding on and others as remodels. We are continually looking for ways to improve the association and provide additional benefits of membership. Many changes and investments have been made, based on membership feedback and requests.

Remodeling – Improving the Basics

Over the past few months our remodeling projects have included

Upgrading the website (which remains an ongoing project)
Upgrading our membership software
Upgrading course software to a more efficient and more responsive program

Adding On – Continuing Professional Education

Until a few months ago, the certification program was the singular education offering. After survey responses were reviewed, the two most-requested courses were introduced to the “new addition” of Continuing Professional Education Courses. This add-on education section will receive additional add-ons. Here is what is completed, and what is in the planning stages of Continuing Professional Education Courses for the remainder of 2014:

Completed and now available: Residential Contents Inventory
Completed and now available: Business Contents Inventory
Initiated development of four additional continuing education courses – again based on survey responses
Added ebooks and audio files that cover a variety of business topics

With construction tools in hand (a webmaster, content writers, editors, ebook authors) we have a plan, blue prints, and a focus to serve our members well.

15 May 2014

Business Contents Inventory Continuing Education Course

The National Inventory Certification Association’s main focus is to provide industry education for those who provide inventory services. Recently, NICA and The Inventory Institute, conducted a survey to capture the needs of these industry professionals. One of the main areas of interest was for a course on business asset inventory. Therefore, with a focus on serving our members, creating this course was placed as a high priority.

The growth of inventory services has expanded to include – in addition to personal property – other business asset categories such as consumables, fixed assets, and retail. This course focuses on the contents, but also provides a general knowledge about these other commercial asset inventory needs.

Business Contents Inventory course

Many inventory options are introduced in this course, based on the successful processes and practices currently being used by inventory professionals. This enables the inventory service professional to develop and/or alter their business asset inventory process based on previously implemented procedures.

For the beginner, the Business Contents Inventory course will introduce the differences between providing a home inventory and a commercial inventory. For those who currently provide commercial inventory services, the course information is two-fold. First, they can verify that they have considered all options in their service process. Secondly, they can learn of other commercial inventory service needs, which may introduce them to add another service to their business inventory services.

Topics covered in this course are:

Lesson 1: Business Inventory

Asset Inventory Definitions
Business Needs for A Contents Inventory
Insurance Basics

Lesson 2: The Inventory Process

Getting Started
Determine Your Process
Photographic Documentation
Written Documentation
Tools of the Trade

Lesson 3: Your Business Inventory Service

Establish Your Inventory Routine
The Finished Product
Additional Inventory Services
Documenting Assets Other Than Personal Property
Best Practices
Safety

The introductory price for this course is $60; National Inventory Certification Association members receive a 50% discount.

18 Apr 2014

Now Available! Continuing Education Course – Residential Contents Inventory

A large number of inventory professionals are seeking continuing education. This was made evident by those who completed the survey recently distributed through a joint effort by National Inventory Certification Association and The Inventory Institute. In response to this survey, NICA has just completed “Residential Contents Inventory.”

This course includes the variety of processes that are currently used by successful inventory professionals. Therefore, this material serves two purposes: 1) to introduce the many options from which a new inventory service professional can select and develop a quality service of their own, and 2) to provide this collective information for established inventory professionals who seek to learn other methods, in an effort to continually improve their process.

Additionally, this course offers a general understanding of homeowners insurance. This is to enable the inventory professional to properly recommend when it would be a benefit for the homeowner to discuss coverage with their agent.

It is imperative that a home inventory service provider conduct business with honesty, integrity, sound business judgment, and professionalism. Course material reinforces best practices, which support the National Inventory Certification Association Code of Ethics.

Documenting the contents of a residence is the foundation of the asset inventory industry, and in essence, where the home inventory industry began. It makes sense that this be the focus of our first course.

Residential Contents Inventory Course

Some of the topics addressed in the Residential Contents Inventory course are:

Disaster Preparedness and Recovery
Additional Reasons for a Home Inventory
Determine Your Process
A Systematic Approach for Your Service
The Finished Product
Best Practices
Safety

Visit the Continuing Education Section of the NICA website for a full description of the course. Members of the National Inventory Certification Association receive a 50% discount off of all Continuing Professional Education (CPE) courses.