STCC to Offer Certified Auto-damage Appraisal Course

SPRINGFIELD — Springfield Technical Community College (STCC) will offer a certified auto-damage appraisal course for insurance-claims professionals and auto-body technicians beginning Feb. 4.

The 60-hour course is the first step to becoming an auto-damage appraiser in Massachusetts. The training through STCC’s Workforce Development Center prepares students for the exam to be a licensed appraiser.

Classes will be held Tuesdays and Thursdays, 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., through April 9.

Approved by the Massachusetts Division of Insurance, the training offers an in-depth discussion of insurance regulations, policy arbitration, and work-completion forms. The instructor has more than 40 years of experience in the collision-repair and insurance industry in Massachusetts and Connecticut and holds auto-appraiser licenses in both states. The course will include the use of flat-rate manual, collision diagnosis, cost estimation, and preparation of written estimates.

To become licensed, students will need to complete the course and a three-month apprenticeship with a licensed Massachusetts automobile appraiser. In addition, they will need to obtain a certified letter verifying the apprenticeship. The apprenticeship must be completed prior to applying to take the Massachusetts Automobile Damage Appraisers License Examination.

For more information and to enroll online, visit www.stcc.edu/autoappraisal. To contact the Workforce Development Center Office, call (413) 755-4225.