Together with coatings industry experts, in-house instructional designers, and experienced instructors, the Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP) has redesigned its Coating Inspector Program (CIP) Level 1 course. The concept of the redesign is to bring together the best components of the NACE CIP and SSPC Protective Coatings Inspector (PCI) programs.

As the first step in AMPP’s flagship coatings inspector program, the CIP Level 1 course teaches over 5,000 students annually to properly perform basic coating inspections using non-destructive techniques and instrumentation.

With three levels, CIP certifications are recognized globally and throughout many industries. As NACE CIP and SSPC PCI programs continue to be specified around the world, those credentials will remain active until the industry has fully adopted AMPP credentials.

The program’s new levels are:

• Basic Coatings Inspector (Level 1) 
• Certified Coatings Inspector (Level 2) 
• Senior Certified Coatings Inspector (Level 3)

“In order to keep up with advancements in the field of coatings inspection and best practices in adult learning methodologies, we brought together the best minds in the industry to update the corrosion and coating industry’s most recognized course for professionals looking to embark upon a new career pathway as a coating inspector,” says Alicia Yust, senior manager of learning and development at AMPP.

Increased Inspector Focus

The newly rewritten course includes lectures, class discussions, group exercises, and hands-on practical labs. In addition, multiple activities, case studies, and knowledge checks are incorporated throughout every chapter to further student engagement and retention of the content.

With an increased focus on the inspector’s role and responsibilities, how to apply key concepts in real-world scenarios, and inspection testing and instrumentation, the course includes four full days of hands-on, practical instruction. This allows students to get first-hand experience with the actual tools and instruments they will use on the job.

According to Yust, rewriting the CIP Level 1 course was a multi-year initiative and involved feedback from numerous industry focus groups, student evaluations, instructor and member interviews and surveys, equipment manufacturers, job task analysis workshops, and nine pilot courses.

This thorough process resulted in a new course with more interactive elements than ever before — and one that will demand more of its students, says Tom Higginbotham, chair of AMPP’s education committee.

“Students in this new course will have more hands-on time than they’ve ever had. Nothing improves learning better than interactive exercises,” Higginbotham says. “Students taking the new CIP Level 1 will be required to work harder with these exercises and homework which will result in better understanding, and better inspectors.”

Updated Course Features

New features of the updated course include:

• Nine hands-on labs
• Six days of instruction: two days theory and four days practical 
• New state-of-the-art equipment 
• New photos and custom videos, drawings, and animations 
• A full-color student workbook.

A cornerstone of the AMPP Coatings Inspector Program is the corps of instructors who introduce students to the skills, knowledge, and responsibilities of a coatings inspector by drawing on their own professional experience. Each CIP Level 1 class is taught by two experienced instructors who have undergone an extensive selection process and thorough training program.

“Without question, we have the most rigorous instructor program of any coatings program in the industry,” says Pam Nicoletti, senior director of knowledge and learning at AMPP. “It’s a multi-year process just to enter the instructor pool, and it could easily take another 10 years to achieve the role of Lead Instructor.”

CIP Instructors recently received additional training at a half-day workshop during the AMPP Annual Conference + Expo in San Antonio, Texas, to become eligible to teach the new CIP Level 1 course.

AMPP offers over 400 CIP Level 1 courses per year at its dedicated training facilities in Pittsburgh, Houston, and Dubai, along with many other locations across five continents.

The new course syllabus debuted in the United States earlier this month, and international courses will become available in English language beginning May 1. The updated course content will soon be translated and instructed in Chinese and Spanish.

For more information, contact: AMPP, (800) 797-6223, www.ampp.org