Thank you for your interest in sponsoring an ICPI Concrete Paver Installer course! Only ICPI member companies and allied industry organizations may sponsor any of the ICPI installer courses. To follow is a series of frequently asked questions along with answers. If you still have questions about how to sponsor a course, feel free to call the ICPI at (703) 657-6900 or if you are interested in joining ICPI please click here.
How Do I Get Started?
- Decide who the contact person for the course will be. ICPI will send regular registration reports to the sponsor contact identified on the agreement. The sponsor contact (along with the instructors) is ultimately responsible for the prompt return of exams and course materials to ICPI after the course is complete.
- At least 45 days in advance of the course date, send a completed and signed sponsor agreement to ICPI at icpi@icpi.org. Once received, ICPI will open online registration for the course.
The courses available to sponsor are as follows:
- Concrete Paver Installer Course – requires two full days, including breaks and lunches. Allow approximately 14 hours of instruction time and 1-2 hours for the exam.
- Commercial Specialist Course – requires two full days, including breaks and lunches. Allow approximately 14 hours of instruction time and 1-2 hours for the exam.
- Residential Specialist Course – requires two full days, including breaks and lunches. Allow approximately 14 hours of instruction time and 1-2 hours for the exam.
- Permeable Specialist Course – requires 1 day, including breaks and lunch. Allow approximately 7 hours of instruction time and 1-1.5 hours for the exam.
Where Should I Hold the Course?
Hold the course at a neutral location such as a hotel, school, or community college. Holding the course at a manufacturing plant can be intimidating and is not recommended.
Who Can Be an Instructor?
Courses must be conducted by at least one ICPI Authorized Contractor Instructor (or Lead Instructor, if applicable). The sponsor may provide a second ICPI Authorized Instructor. Contact the ICPI education department to ensure that you have the most up-to-date list of instructors.
How Much Should I Pay Instructors?
Using the ICPI Authorized Instructor list, contact one or more speakers to negotiate a price that is mutally acceptable.
How Do Participants Register For the Course?
Students should register for the course with ICPI. Online registration is preferred, but you may also distribute the paper registration form (provided by ICPI) to potential participants, and add it to your website if applicable. Full payment must be included in order for registration to be processed and confirmed by ICPI.
Registration deadlines should be stressed, but there may be walk-in registrations. The sponsor contact noted on the agreement is responsible for collecting any registration fees on-site. Payment from walk-in registrants must be guaranteed to ICPI by the sponsoring member. ICPI will not invoice for registration fees. Certificates will not be sent to attendees until payment is received.
What Kind of Promotion Will I Need For the Course?
A key success factor is the sponsor’s promotion of the course. This may include adding a link to registration on your company website, including the course information in e-newsletters, sending out emails/mailings, promoting through social media, etc.
What Kind of Expenses Are Involved?
Instructor Fees: The sponsor is responsible for negotiating pricing and travel expenses with the instructors. Using the ICPI Authorized Instructor list, contact one or more speakers to negotiate a price that is mutally acceptable.
Meeting Space and Audio/Visual Equipment: The sponsor will likely need to rent a meeting room with tables and chairs. A projector and screen will also be needed. Appropriate arrangements would need to be made for someone who specifies a need related to ADA requirements.
Food and Beverages: Providing food and beverages for participants is left entirely up to the sponsor.
To offset some of the expenses, for every student who pays the registration fee and attends the full length of the course, ICPI will reimburse the sponsoring member a specified amount per paid participant.
What Materials Are Needed?
Student manuals and other materials are shipped to the address specified by the sponsor. ICPI will send student manuals to the sponsor several days prior to the start date of the course. The sponsor is responsible for onsite distribution of manuals to registered and paid attendees. Participants who are retaking the course should provide their own student manual. If they do not bring one, an additional manual may be purchased for $30. Unused manuals must be returned to ICPI. Any unused manuals not received by ICPI will be deducted from the sponsoring company’s rebate check at a rate of $30 per manual.
ICPI will ship course materials to the address indicated by the sponsor contact. In addition to student manuals, ICPI will send the sponsoring member company a list of participants, exams, evaluation forms and name badges. Instructional materials are also provided.
Sponsors should provide the instructors with a variety of concrete paver samples and local aggregate.
The day after the conclusion of the course and exam, the sponsoring member must return all exam booklets, evaluations and completed Scantron exam forms to ICPI. Detailed instructions will be provided with the shipment of course materials.
What Happens After the Course?
ICPI grades the exams and issues Records of Completion and other notifications by mail to all students within 30 working days of ICPI’s receipt of the exams, provided full payment and registration forms are complete. Once collected and tabulated, ICPI will also send exam and evaluation reports to the sponsor contact and the instructors.
Who Should I Contact For Questions?
Please call ICPI at 703-657-6900 with any questions. To send sponsorship agreements, please complete and send forms to icpi@icpi.org for processing.