Certification Courses

IPI Certification Courses

Nine or more different courses are specifically designed for the certification program and are offered during each two-year period. The instructors and content of these courses are approved and recognized by the University of Virginia. During a given two-year period, two five-day courses and at least seven two-day courses are held in conjunction with IPI annual conferences and educational seminars. Candidates are required to take both of the five-day sessions. At the end of the two-year period, all of the courses will be repeated and updated. These courses are open to every candidate.

The five-day sessions run concurrently with the annual International Parking Conference and Exposition. In even numbered years, they feature management topics. In other years, these sessions focus on industry-specific issues. Although these special certification courses are operated exclusive of most conference activities, candidates also have access to the exhibit hall so they can take advantage of the exposition and meet with exhibitors.

The two-day sessions on industry-specific material cover a wide variety of subjects including design and maintenance of facilities, parking safety and security, dealing with the media, enforcement and adjudication, transportation issues, training your employees, the impact of state and federal governments on parking, revenue control and more. These courses are available to anyone interested, but a person must be a candidate in the program for attendance to be assigned a higher point value. Many of these courses are repeated and new subjects are added regularly.

These sessions, along with specific outside reading, are designed to cover the materials to be tested and help candidates identify areas in which they need to increase their knowledge. Courses include materials which become the property of the candidate, and additional materials are available from IPI's library. Furthermore, instructors are available for consultation throughout the program.

Each five-day session has a point value of 20, with a maximum of 40. For certification candidates, the two-day sessions each have a point value of 7.5, for a maximum accumulation of 30 points. Therefore, for candidates, this portion of the program has a point value of 70. Combining the maximum scores from the courses and the personal data form gives a total possible score of 142.

CAPP Quotes

"A couple of years after landing my parking job (over 17 years ago-WOW!), I made a point of joining professional organizations like IPI and the PA Parking Association to be exposed to other parking professionals and the wealth of knowledge they possessed. I absorbed what I could and was fortunate enough to be a part of new technology, construction and garage restoration projects that some of my peers might not have the good fortune to experience. For me, CAPP certification is a validation of my professional development. I have not sought new positions, but I have no doubt that the CAPP certification will open doors if I do. One needs only to review position postings and read the words "CAPP preferred" or even "CAPP required" to realize that a growing number of organizations for their top parking positions. I encourage every parking professional to pursue the ultimate parking credential - Certified Administrator of Public Parking."

Edward Holmes, CAPP
Class of 2003