ADN WINTER 2022_WEB

achievement that demonstrate a basic
mastery of the knowledge and applied
skills needed by the detailing professional.
Certified Detailers have not only
demonstrated competency, but they have
also shown determination and commitment
in completing the certification
process. The pride of earning these designations
places a detailing professional
among a group at the top of their profession.
Consumers can have confidence in
the quality of service they are receiving
when working with a Certified Detailer.
Phase I in the IDA Certification process
consists of 10 exams, in these subject
areas: Equipment, Chemicals, Glass, Interior
Detailing, Leather, Paint Correction
& Protection, Wheels & Tires, Prep
Wash/Wash Bay, Detailing Terminology,
and Safety & Compliance. Phase II
is for those who have successfully completed
Phase I, and it represents the four
primary categories that each candidate
must demonstrate their “hands on” ability
to perform: Wash Bay/Prep, Interior,
Exterior Correction, and Finishing
Steps. Phase II testing demonstrates
hands-on skills and consists of in-person
testing conducted by an IDA Recognized
Independent Trainer (RIT) in a
scenario-type format, which affords the
detailer the opportunity to demonstrate
the abilities expected of the advanced
detailing professional.
How Can Detailers
Become IDA
Certified?
There are currently two paths available
to become a Certified Detailer: 1)
taking the Phase I exams online or 2) attending
an in-person event hosted by an
RIT and taking the exams onsite. Each
of the 10 exams must be passed with
a score of 80% or higher. The online
exams can be completed anytime, anywhere,
as long as the detailer has access
to the internet. This makes it easy for
anyone around the world to take the exams
when it is most convenient for them.
The IDA recognizes, though, that
just because the exams have been available
to anyone, that does not mean they
have been accessible to everyone – primarily
due to language barriers. Until
now, the online
exams have only been available in
English, using U.S. terminology. Of
course, as an international organization,
many of the IDA’s members are
non-native English speakers, and thus
inherently are at a disadvantage when
taking the exams in English. Only onethird
of the current Certified Detailers
are international. As the IDA continues
to increase its global presence, it is vital
to make the exams as accessible to as
many international detailers as possible.
With that in mind, the IDA is currently
working to offer the exams in five additional
languages: Dutch, French, Italian,
Portuguese, and Spanish, along with an
English version using U.K. terminology.
The aim is to have these translations all
available online by the end of 2022 or
early 2023. Looking to the future, the
IDA anticipates the need to offer the exams
in many more languages to correspond
with continued global growth and
will continue to make them available on
the IDA website.
Since hands-on Skills Validated exams
can currently only be administered
in person by a Recognized Independent
Trainer, it is a bit more challenging for
detailers outside the U.S. or U.K. to earn
the SV designation. There are currently
804 Skills Validated Detailers worldwide,
with just over a quarter of them
located outside the United States and
United Kingdom. This closely correlates
with the current make-up of RITs: out
of the 50 active RITs, less than onefourth
of them are in countries outside
the U.S. and U.K. The IDA knows that
an increase in RITs outside of these two
locations will result in an increase in
SV designations, which is why the IDA
Certification Committee has made it an
10 | AUTO DETAILING NEWS | VOL. 7, NO. 4 • WINTER 2022