As per a joint statement, the NGA has sold its auto glass technician certification programmes to the AGRSS. The sale took place on 30 August and the operational transfer is expected to be complete by 30 September 2011. NGA will no longer maintain any type of auto glass technician or company certification programme, and will utilize the new AGRSS programme as its official certification programme, according to AGRSS.
The National Glass Association (NGA) has sold its auto glass technician certification programmes to the Automotive Glass Replacement Safety Standards (AGRSS®) Council Inc. In a joint statement released by the two groups, officials say they have been in discussions for months as they “considered various options for improving their respective service to the North American auto glass industry.”
The sale took place on 30 August and the operational transfer is expected to be complete by 30 September 2011.
“Our acquisition of this programme is a reflection of the important role certification plays in ensuring the quality, professionalism and safety of auto glass technicians across the country,” says Debra Levy, president of the AGRSS Council. “It complements the services that AGRSS provides and expands our offerings to this market, and we intend to invest substantially in the programme’s value and expansion over the coming years.”
“This transaction is all about providing the best service possible to the auto glass market,” adds Phil James, president of the NGA. “We believe that focusing our resources and attention on our world-class auto glass training programmes is better for our members in the long run, and it enables the NGA and AGRSS to do what each organization does best.”
Further information about the AGRSS auto glass certification programme is expected to be available by 1 October 2011.
The AGRSS Council has released a list of common questions and answers about the transfer, and says all NGA-certified technicians with current certifications will remain certified under that name until these certifications expire. On 1 January 2012, the name of the programme will change – though that name has not been finalized – and technicians whose certifications are current will be certified under the new name.
NGA will no longer maintain any type of auto glass technician or company certification programme, and will utilize the new AGRSS programme as its official certification programme, according to AGRSS.
AGRSS Council officials say those who wish to become certified now should still contact Miguel Rodriguez, NGA’s former certification manager, to become certified, through the month of September; on 1 October, officials at the AGRSS headquarters in Glen Ellyn, Ill., will take over this part of the process. Rodriguez is consulting to AGRSS during the transition.
For those technicians who are NGA-certified but whose companies are not AGRSS-Registered, AGRSS officials say this move should not affect them.
“AGRSS will be offering technician certification to technicians working for all auto glass companies, whether an AGRSS-Registered company or not,” writes the Council.
The AGRSS Council says companies that are both AGRSS-Registered and have NGA-certified technicians will get “the best of both worlds.”