NAAEI recently gained coveted accreditation from the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) for the Certificate for Apartment Maintenance Technicians (CAMT) program.
Founded in 1918, ANSI oversees the development of voluntary consensus standards for products, services, processes, systems and personnel in the United States.
NAAEI joins the ranks of only eight companies and organizations, such as the
FBI Academy, U.S. Food and Drug Administration and U.S. Army Combat Readiness/Safety Center, offering ANSI-accredited certificate programs.
ANSI accreditation provides a neutral, third-party verification that the CAMT certificate program promotes better-educated and qualified apartment maintenance workers.
The CAMT certificate has a term of validity that lasts a lifetime. To help CAMT professionals remain up-to-date and ahead of the technology and regulatory curve, NAAEI developed the Apartment Institute Maintenance Excellence, or AIME, program.
Taking AIME
Once maintenance professionals earn the CAMT certificate, they will be invited to join AIME, allowing them to continue their maintenance-focused education and training. AIME will help CAMT certificate-holders build upon their strong and lasting maintenance foundation for personal and professional advancement.
“Continuing education is critical in the maintenance profession due to constant changes in regulations and technology,” says Pablo Paz, CAMT, NAAEI National Maintenance and Safety Instructor.
“AIME provides our CAMT certificate-holders the critical component of continuing education and the training they need to remain competitive in the workplace,” he says.
Paz is on the frontlines of the NAAEI training program, having taught CAMT courses to more than 550 apartment maintenance professionals.
“The apartment industry is very fast-paced, with change often happening at a blistering rate,” he says. “AIME members will be able to keep up-to-date in real time.”
Continuing Education
To maintain AIME membership, members must pay annual dues of $50 and earn and report three continuing education credits every year. Property management companies that employ AIME members will have peace of mind that those employees are familiar with the latest regulatory and property management issues, such as R-410A, bed bugs or the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) RRP rule.
In 2011, NAAEI will offer AIME members a special webinar that will focus on the
transition from refrigerant R-22 to R-410A. The webinar will be held Jan. 4, March 31 and May 9. R-22 has been linked to ozone depletion and must be phased out by 2020. In addition, AIME members are encouraged to take advantage of maintenance programming offered by their local apartment associations.
AIME Forward
NAAEI will continually assess the continuing education needs of AIME members and annually develop customized training that meets those needs. In addition, through NAAEI’s new Learning Management System, CAMT certificate holders and AIME members can track their continuing education and take advantage of online learning and webinars that cover current maintenance topics.
Congratulations to those who have earned the prestigious ANSI-accredited CAMT certificate. We hope that you decide to take that next step and demonstrate your commitment to your career and professionalism by joining AIME.
Maureen Lambe, CAE, is Executive Vice President of NAAEI. She can be reached at 703/797-0601 or maureen@naahq.org.