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Course detail
Automotive Appraisal Training.
An instructor-led program connecting appraisal concepts with real insurance-company and automotive body and mechanical shop experience, taught in a professional classroom in Encino, California.
Overview
What the program is, and who teaches it.
Automotive Appraisal Training is the Academy’s currently documented program. Instruction is led by ASE- and I-CAR Platinum-certified instructors with 7+ years of field experience, including time on both the insurance-company side and the automotive body and mechanical shop side of the industry. The Academy maintains its own curriculum and keeps it current, and teaches in a professional classroom environment in Encino, California rather than a purely online format.
ASE and I-CAR references describe instructor credentials, not a credential automatically issued to students. See the completion section below.
Curriculum
Themes the curriculum is built around.
The Academy documents its curriculum in terms of subject themes rather than a public syllabus. Ask the Academy for the current lesson-by-lesson outline before enrolling.
Damage Analysis & Documentation
Recognizing and recording vehicle damage in a way that supports a clear, defensible written record.
Repair Operations
Understanding how collision and mechanical repair operations are sequenced and performed in a shop environment.
Parts, Labor & Materials
Working with parts sourcing, labor time, and refinish or repair materials as they relate to an estimate.
Estimating Judgment
Applying professional judgment to translate documented damage into a reasoned estimate.
Insurance & Repair Workflow
Understanding how an estimate moves between the insurance side and the repair-facility side of a claim.
Professional Communication
Communicating findings clearly and professionally to shops, insurers, vehicle owners, and colleagues.
Tools & learning environment
A classroom setting, with tools confirmed directly.
Class is taught in the Academy’s own classroom in Encino rather than a generic rented space. The exact estimating software, reference materials, and physical tools used during instruction are not published on this website.
Ask the Academy for the current list of required or provided software and tools before you enroll, so you know what to bring and what, if anything, you need to purchase in advance.
Enrollment details
Confirm these details directly with the Academy.
The items below vary by cohort and are not published on this website. Contact the Academy for current information before you decide.
Completion
What you receive when you finish.
ASE and I-CAR are the credentials held by Academy instructors. They are not automatically conferred on students who complete this course.
Ask the Academy directly what certificate or completion document, if any, is issued at the end of the program, and whether any separate third-party examination, license, or certification exists outside of Academy instruction.
Learning objectives, not promises
What the curriculum is designed to teach.
These are learning objectives the curriculum is designed to support. They describe the subject matter covered in class, not a guarantee of employment, certification, licensing, advancement, or income.
Analyze Damage
Approach vehicle damage systematically before drawing conclusions.
Document Clearly
Produce documentation that a shop, insurer, or colleague can follow.
Understand Repair Sequencing
Recognize how repair operations are typically ordered in a shop.
Apply Estimating Judgment
Reason through parts, labor, and materials decisions on an estimate.
Understand Claim Workflow
Follow how an estimate moves between insurer and repair facility.
Communicate Professionally
Explain findings clearly to the people who rely on them.