By RV Industry Association Staff
The RV Technical Institute is the gold standard technician training program leveraging decades of industry experience. With millions of Americans planning to take an RV trip in the next year, there’s more demand and opportunity for skilled RV technicians than ever before. On more technicians on the road mean more RVs will stay on the road, but when they return, they’ll need storage, which bodes well for toy storage operators!
To keep RVers happy and on the road, the institute launched technician recruitment efforts last year, which included attending several American School Counselor Association events to educate high school counselors about the RV industry and demands for technicians. Now, this year, the institute is also focusing on introducing the RV technician training program in high schools across the country. As a result, interested high school students would be able to graduate as a certified Level 1 RV technician.
So far this year, the RV Technical Institute has worked with four high schools in three states—Texas, Indiana and Pennsylvania— to implement their technician training program. Institute staff are currently training interested high school teachers, the majority of whom are in the vocational technician department. These educators will become certified RV technician instructors upon completing the program and will ultimately pass their knowledge on to the students.
“At the moment we’re setting up how to deliver the curriculum and any instructional aids that the students may need,” explains RV Technical Institute Director of Recruitment Tracy Anglemeyer. “We’re also planning to partner the high schools with dealerships to facilitate the teachers’ and students’ training. This will allow future job opportunities for the learners and provide dealerships with an additional avenue to gain employees.”
So far, enthusiasm for the class is high. “High schools are looking for more options and career paths for students. When counselors learn we can help place their students they become so excited,” Anglemeyer adds.