The certification exam includes, but is not limited to, the following aspects of the auto rental business:
- A better business understanding
- Rate structure
- Understanding incremental sales
- Marketing and public relations
- Risk management
- Making a good rental
- Customer satisfaction
The certification costs $300 and is valid for two years. After two years, rental car professionals can opt to get recertified for a minimal fee of approximately $50. The exam will be updated regularly to account for industry changes.
The RCP certification program at the Car Rental Show will be an in-person RCP workshop, which will take place from 8 a.m. until noon. Participants will attend a three-hour multimedia seminar with Jim Schalberg and Dr. Robert Serum, Ph.D., CIRAS president and CEO, then take the 35-question written final exam.
“It is the unrelenting aim of CIRAS to work with the best content experts we can find anywhere,” says Dr. Serum. “With Jim Schalberg, we have again struck gold. He is just superb.”
After March 30, the RCP certification program will be accessible online. CIRAS utilizes a newly developed platform for secure testing and scoring. The proprietary system generates unique questions every time the test is administered so that no two tests are alike and so that students cannot memorize the answers to retake the test.
Online Flexibility
For the online certification, students are required to listen to a two-hour video seminar divided into sections. At the end of each section, students must take and pass a quiz to move on to the next section.
Each student can go at his or her desired pace. For example, if test takers do not pass a section, they can log out of the program and ask the manager for additional training on that subject. Then they can retake that section to pass it and move on. After students complete all of the sections, they will take the final 35-question, multiple-choice exam, again at their own pace.
If students do not pass the final exam, they can get more training and then take the final exam again. “The object is for students to learn the program thoroughly before they pass,” Algan explains. The exam can be taken as many times as is necessary in order to pass. A minimum score of 70 percent is required to pass and receive certification.
A Network for Networking
Certified rental car professionals will receive a certificate and a two-year membership to CIRAS. They will be included in the member roster on the CIRAS Web site. They can also take advantage of the resume-posting feature on the site.
“If they are looking for a job, they can update and activate their resume, and their resume will be available to all the other rental car professionals and operators,” says Algan. “If somebody is looking for a certified individual to hire immediately, they can go to our list and search by zip code or state, review the resumes of professionals in their area and contact someone directly for an interview.”
CIRAS plans to develop partnerships with rental car companies, auto dealers and other segments to become industry members of CIRAS. Algan says the goal is to develop a community where auto rental industry professionals can network at no cost.
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