RVBusiness, March/April 2020
RVTI instructor Randy Davis speaks to students RV Technical Institute Hitting The Ground Running in Year 2 S eated at an empty table inside the RV Technical Institute RVTI youd never expect that David Hodge was about to be tested for Level 2 RV service technician certification The Murfreesboro Tenn native was a picture of calm cool and collected There was no doubt in his mind he was ready for the hands on exam and he attributed his readiness to his RVTI instructor Randy Davis Hes the best maintenance instructor Ive ever seen said Hodge a certified electronics technician in the Navy who went on to teach aviation technical maintenance He just has a way of conveying what you need to know not only what you need for the test but conveying what you need to know as a technician in the real world On Day One I told Randy This is the Top Gun of the RV industry Hodge continued 50 RVBusiness M A R C H A P R I L 2 0 2 0 BY RICK KESSLER PHOTOS BY SHAWN SPENCE adding that he was seeking certification for both personal and professional reasons I want to be able to maintain my own RV but at the same time I wanted to pick up a vocation If you can fix stuff youre the man I dont care what industry it is Ongoing Rollout Hodge was one of 26 students attending RVTI classes to become certified as a Level 1 and or Level 2 RV service technician and the classes are part of the second year in a planned three year rollout of RVTI a facility and program headquartered in Elkhart Ind Buoyed by 10 million in total seed money contributed by the RV Industry Association and the Go RVing Coalition RVTI was established following the efforts of an ad hoc committee that had determined the industry needed a comprehensive program to recruit train and retain RV service technicians That same committee identified reducing the Repair Event Cycle Time RECT as a key component in improving the RV ownership experience while it also serves as a primary goal for RVTI After its first year culminated in a ribbon cutting ceremony for the 18000 square foot headquarters during last Septembers Elkhart RV Open House RVTI enters year two with a range of initiatives including the continued advancement of its training programs recruiting students for that training and joining Camping World Technical Institute CWTI and the Windham School District in Texas partnering with additional authorized licensed organizations to deliver RVTI curriculum in regional locations What makes this really exciting is weve been working on this for over a year and this is our first set of students and half of them are from outside the industry said RVTI Executive Director Curt Hemmeler I dont believe the industry has ever trained people from David Hodge Curt Hemmeler
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