What I found unique about IFCI is the willingness of the team to want to help the inspector learn and grow professionally. They do hands on training which is rarely found in other training. They do not spend a lot of time on how a product is made; they spend the time on how to inspect the product and produce a coherent quality report. Linda Lockwood, Henri Carr and Billy Simmons also made sure the camaraderie of the class was promoted.
One inspector actually brought polish sausage down and we had a class cook out one evening. I told Henri my next class would be my BBQ I would bring to feed the class. This is something you do not find in many classes or schools, but it promotes a professional attitude with other inspectors, even if the areas we inspect overlap. We are not competitors of each other; we are friends and fellow professionals and should be able to call and discuss things to help each other.
The power points were very informative with pictures and detailed explanations. Then the hands on part allowed us to see how to put what we learned into action to do a more thorough and complete inspection and present this in a clearly written detailed report for the commissioning party.
Not only would I recommend this training, I will be doing more with IFCI down the road. Henri, Linda and Billy are friends of mine. Linda helped me a LOT (as did Ray who could not be there) when I was a newbie and helped me avoid making mistakes and helped me grow to become a better inspector and person. Billy knows the tile and stone and his class and hands on went beyond what CTEF did.
I have at least 4-5 of every certification so it is not like I view education as an expense. It is an investment to help me grow professionally and become the best I can be in my field. There are other schools out there. I will not talk negative of any of them, but you really need to do your homework before spending money. The quality of the training and knowledge of the instructors is crucial. At least this school and one other are owned and operated by inspectors with years of installation and other training and background. They will openly work with you to help you become a very good inspector and are there for a call if needed to answer questions or talk through something with you before you write an erroneous report.
Henri, Linda Billy and I have done several classes or educational events together over the years. They are caring knowledgeable people and instructors. More importantly, they are good people I am privileged to be able to call my friends and mentors. Ray Darrah helped me a LOT as did Linda when I first started out. I highly recommend IFCI and the team there if you want GOOD training that will make you a better inspector.