MPI Update

Our MPI Inspector Credential is Evolving - As the world changes around us, so must MPI. To uphold the value of MPI Inspector credentials and ensure they continue to be specified in a growing field, we’re making thoughtful updates to our certification requirements. These changes are designed to uphold our standards while opening new paths for growth and continued excellence for MPI Inspectors.

What’s changing? - We’ve updated the experience requirements to more closely match other industry certifications and we’ve replaced the case study requirement with a Peer Review.

What’s not changing? - Our commitment to industry – and to a credential that reflects real-world achievable skills and experience.
If you’d like more details, don’t hesitate to visit the MPI website or reach out to me or any member of the MPI team.

Reinventing an Industry Standard: How MPI Rewrote the “Essentials of Paint” Course

For decades, the Essentials of Paint course from the Master Painters Institute (MPI) has stood as the bedrock of foundational training across the global coatings industry. Inspectors, applicators, specifiers, and technical professionals have turned to MPI’s legacy curriculum to gain rigorous, technically accurate knowledge in everything from formulation chemistry to safety, application techniques, and standards compliance. Its legacy is enduring—but in 2024, MPI undertook a bold reimagining of the course, signaling a decisive shift in both pedagogical strategy and technological delivery.

Why Reinvent What Works?

Legacy education models, even when respected and widely adopted, face inevitable limits in a fast-evolving industry. Advances in coatings chemistry, shifting regulatory frameworks, mobile-first learning expectations, and the need for immediate on-the-job application called for a transformative update. In light of these demands, MPI launched a comprehensive initiative to rework not just the content, but the entire instructional framework of the Essentials of Paint curriculum.

This was not a revision—it was a rebuild from the ground up.

A Learner-Centric Model for a Modern Workforce

At the heart of this rewrite was a shift away from passive information delivery toward a student-centered instructional design. The reimagined Essentials of Paint course embraces microlearning principles, segmenting knowledge into modular, digestible lessons that can be completed in short bursts—ideal for today’s learners who balance field work, professional obligations, and certification requirements. Accessible across devices and designed to be consumed anytime, anywhere, this mobile-responsive format ensures universal access without sacrificing technical rigor.

Built for Application and Retention

One of the defining features of the new course is its emphasis on immediate, job-relevant application. Instead of presenting learners with abstract theory, each module integrates project-based scenarios that reflect real-world tasks and challenges. These scenarios not only contextualize content but also promote critical thinking and problem-solving—skills vital for field performance.

In addition, each lesson incorporates a range of interactive multimedia elements including:

Downloadable cheat sheets and study guides
Interactive activities and knowledge checks
Formative questioning to reinforce key concepts

This multimodal approach maximizes both retention and transfer of learning, making the course not just informative, but functionally transformative on the job site.

Grounded in the Latest Standards and Practices

As part of the rewrite, MPI subjected every topic to technical review to ensure the content aligns with the most current coatings technology, standards, and environmental considerations. From the formulation of pigments and binders to contemporary discussions of LEED, low-VOC formulations, and protective coating performance criteria, the course reflects the cutting edge of the industry .

Critically, the course has been updated to satisfy continuing education requirements for professionals seeking to renew or upgrade their credentials, making it a perfect option for legacy learners as well as those new to the field.

Bridging Generations of Professionals

While designed for a new generation of mobile, self-directed learners, MPI has not forgotten its past. Recognizing the significant population of professionals previously certified under the legacy Essentials course, MPI offers discounted access for returning students. These professionals can update their knowledge base, receive an updated certificate of completion, and earn Professional Development Hours (PDH). For those pursuing formal certification, a new Essentials of Paint exam is available, aligned with the refreshed course content and delivery model.

Certification, Credibility, and Career Mobility

Upon completion, learners receive a digital certificate along with documented PDH hours, which can be used to support continuing education requirements for employers, unions, or certification bodies. Those who pass the optional exam earn the updated MPI certification, a mark of technical excellence that’s recognized across sectors.

This is more than a course; it’s a career asset.

The Result: A New Gold Standard

In rewriting the Essentials of Paint, MPI has reaffirmed its commitment to technical excellence, while embracing contemporary principles of instructional design and digital accessibility. The result is a deeply engaging, professionally relevant, and globally accessible educational product—one that not only honors the tradition of MPI but also positions its learners to lead in a rapidly evolving coatings industry.

The course is now available through the Learning Store at MPI.net, with special pricing for returning students. Whether you are new to the industry, seeking to upskill, or refreshing your credentials, the Essentials of Paint remains the essential place to begin. Only now, it’s better than ever.

MPI Training Pass results

Congratulations to the Latest MPI Certified Students

Essentials of Paint and Painting Technology

Eli Schmidt, MPDA
Karamvir Singh, Sherwin Williams
Chuck Stroud, A&K Painting
Alvin Charles Lansang, Davies Paints
Gilbert Salazar, Benjamin Moore

Architectural Painting Specification

Jeff Madigan, Behr
Eduardo Zaragoza, Behr

Maintenance Repainting Specification.

Syril Tlyd Altura, Davies Paints

Paint Quality Assurance

Andrew Badgett, Clayco

Professional Tip

Paint manufacturers use many types of equipment to produce paint. Of primary concern is the uniform dispersion of pigments to maximize the efficiency for color, hiding, and gloss. Un-dispersed pigments can cause havoc to stability, application and appearance of the final film. To accomplish this, equipment is needed that will reduce the agglomerated dry pigment to its primary particle size.