The short answer is - Yes, in very unique circumstances, your original IRATA certification date of expiry CAN CHANGE.
But please read on... we need to explain this.
From the TACS (Training, Assessment, and Certification Scheme) it states:
TLDR: If you are doing an IRATA re-certification training week, and fail assessment, your existing certification becomes void.
What are the implications of this?
It means when you RE-CERTIFY the risk of failure is voiding your current certification.
If you come within your 6 month window before expiry, and you PASS, you keep the original expiration date - eg. original date of validity was until June 30th, 2024, and you came in 5 months prior to recert on Feb. 20 because you wanted to give yourself wiggle room, and pass, you KEEP your original date of June 30th, with updated year 2027.
However, if you FAIL that RECERT, and then RE-ASSESS and then PASS on February 27 after a second attempt, your certification is valid now from Feb. 27th for 3 years and not your previous date of June 30th.
How does this affect technicians?
We often suggest coming in within the 6 month period before expiration to avoid any unwanted delays (scheduling, re-assessments, emergencies - life happens!) to ensure that you are at no point with an expired certification. For the majority of cases (successful re-certifications and upgrade attempts), there is no impact to coming in early in that window, as your expiry date does not change - and you continue on every 3 years repeating the same thing.
However, we are highlighting this, because if you do come in at 2.5 years after your last successful assessment, and then attempt to recertify, but fail - you risk losing up to 6 months of validity on your certification.
What should technicians do?
Firstly, take a deep breath and don't worry about it. This is not a common occurrence, but it's important to recognize the importance of BEING PREPARED despite how confident, assured, and experienced you are. Re-assessments are an opportunity to demonstrate that you are still a competent and safe technician, and have the knowledge in the field to keep you, and your colleagues safe - and yes, even under stressful conditions.
You might have a lot of experience under your belt, but it is always a good idea to go into training with an open mind, as things can change after 2-3 years! There might be new techniques, or previous skills that you haven't been practicing in your chosen field, updated guidelines that require 1 or 2 new steps that didn't before. Our training team stays up to date with industry standards and changes, and always instructs to the most updated TACS and ICOP requirements to give our students, staff, and industry the highest standard of training.
When should you book your recertification training session?
If you are confident you will pass your recertification training and are aware of the risks of failure and receiving new dates of validity - book that training in anytime within 180 days of your expiration! We, however, would not recommend booking right at the 6 month mark, but instead to do a self-evaluation of your own skills at that point. Our YouTube channel is a great resource for this purpose!
If this blog has given you any hesitation, it's a great opportunity to take an objective look at your own skills/level of confidence at your level. Although new certification dates of validity are a possibility with re-certifications, only book a training session when you feel confident of passing. If you are wavering, take advantage of our Refreshers and Open Gyms. These are great ways to get a leg up on your training week, and optimize your week of training by asking questions about your current skills, industry changes, and ask any questions you may have to our team of instructors!
What about Upgrades?
Upgrades are not at risk of new dates of validity on re-assessments after a failure. Because Upgrades do not void your current level if you fail, there is no risk of getting new expiration dates - and if you pass you keep your current dates of validity. If you fail, there are options to downgrade the assessment.... but that's another deep dive into the TACS, and we can save that for another post all on its own!
Consider coming to an Open Gym to freshen and sharpen some skills, regardless of upcoming recerts! Practice never hurt anyone!