PRINCETON, NJ – The NAFA Fleet Management Association's (NAFA) new Certified Automotive Fleet Supervisor (CAFS) certification program will soon be available to emerging fleet professionals. This certification will be open to workers within a fleet department, including technicians, assistants, and others in fleet-related positions who wish to develop and enter into a fleet management career. The CAFS will be awarded to those who show a proven proficiency in four specific aspects of fleet management, and who may ultimately continue their educational path towards the completion of a CAFM designation – the highest and most comprehensive certification in the fleet industry.
The CAFS was created by dividing NAFA's Certified Automotive Fleet Manager (CAFM) designation into two tiers (upper and lower). Each tier will cover four of the eight fleet management disciplines currently required to earn a CAFM. The four disciplines covered in the CAFS tier include Fleet Information Management, Maintenance Management, Professional Development, and Vehicle Fuel Management. The CAFM tier will encompass the Asset Management, Business Management, Financial Management, and Risk Management disciplines.
Successful completion of the lower-tier program will earn the participant the designation of Certified Automotive Fleet Supervisor (CAFS). Participants may also choose to bypass the tier system and work only towards the CAFM designation, which is earned upon successful completion of both the lower-tier and upper-tier curriculums.
"NAFA is pleased to offer the CAFS certification for fleet professionals as a stepping stone towards achieving a CAFM," said NAFA President Gayle Pratt." It allows fleet professionals to see tangible results much sooner as they progress through the curriculum and earn their CAFS. Meanwhile, the CAFM designation clearly remains the highest and most comprehensive certification to attain."
The CAFS program will be open to any individual with at least one year experience as a fleet manager, assistant manager, fleet supervisor, or other fleet-related position. It will also be open to those enrolled in a college or university program in a fleet-related discipline. Any participant currently enrolled in the "revised" CAFM program since 2006 will be eligible for a CAFS designation, even if the credits were earned prior to the announcement of the CAFS program. The first CAFS designations will be awarded in Spring 2009.
NAFA is currently working out the details of a plan to offer fleet professionals who attain the CAFS designation the ability to apply for college credits with Ferris State University (FSU) as part of NAFA's strategic partnership with the institution. NAFA's CAFM designation is currently eligible for 12 college credits from FSU. More information on how the CAFS program and FSU will be made available later.
NAFA Fleet Management Association has long been well respected for its educational programs. Designed to identify and recognize exceptional fleet management professionals, NAFA's CAFM program is the oldest, largest, and most widely acclaimed professional certification program in the fleet management industry. Many employers require or encourage fleet managers to obtain the CAFM designation prior to or shortly after employment. The addition of the CAFS designation is expected to ultimately bring more fleet professionals into the greater CAFM program as a whole.
