RVBusiness, September/October 2019

training and hybrid classes that use a mix of online and live hands on The new curriculum has been broken out into seven courses and 38 modules giving the most flexibility for delivery and the learner This flexibility will allow the learner to focus on one area at a time or take only the courses needed Technicians who have already completed training or achieved certifications will be grandfathered into this new program All expiration dates will remain the same for current certification Courses will be delivered through the institutes faculty a technical training staff that includes Michael Curl Michael Anderson and Randy Davis and licensed partners across the country The first classes to be taught at the RVTI facility are expected to start in late September if not sooner A more detailed training calendar should be available during RVTIs grand opening RVTI Outside of Elkhart While some technician training will take place at RVTIs Elkhart facility the bulk of it will be handled at various locations throughout North America Referred to as a hub and spoke model its wrapped around the idea that the hub is the RVTI headquarters in Elkhart and the spokes are the partnering institutions that agree to maintain the integrity of the RVTI curriculum and participate in its continual improvement Picking up on that Lee explained that partnering institutions will have some leeway in when and how they deliver the training but there will be a set of standards that a partner of ours would have to follow For example the core curriculum cannot be altered or adjusted You can add to it but you cant take from it she said Also if were teaching their instructors on how to deliver the curriculum they must attend a semiannual conference here at the school so they can be updated on any changes and at the same time they can give us feedback on what theyre seeing Really its just a matter of them being willing to participate in the continual improvement of the curriculum Hemmeler added that the spokes would at least potentially at this point cut across a wide swath of entities including state RV associations dealerships community colleges prerelease programs for at risk youth high school trade programs and military branches among others Hemmeler noted that the names of licensed partnering agencies and organizations would be released as they come on board The goal is to not have any avenue overlooked to getting into our industry Hemmeler reported As our industry is in a battle to get technicians with auto diesel and all of those other high end demand positions out there I want to make sure that RVTI is positioned and capable of bringing folks into our industry without any obstacles So well have multiple entry points or spokes in this case across the country The one goal I definitely want to put forward is that given the competition for techs I want to make sure that we can deliver our education anywhere anytime any place he continued What that means is that if someone walks into a dealership for a job we can either train them there or we can train them here If a person comes out of the military we can either train them there or we can train them here Eventually a long term goal would be to put everything completely online so that once again were making it easier From left Sharonne Lee Roxane Tharp and Tammy Holland inside one the RVTI classrooms for folks to access us and to access the education Its also the predominant way that most people learn today online is the way to go he added Long Term Goals for RVTI Hemmelers long term vision for RVTI includes job placement as well in which RVTI staff could help a student find a technicians job at a dealership with an opening in or close to their desired location Likewise RVTI could help dealerships with openings find graduates He also envisions the potential for consumer training A basic RV maintenance course could be developed he suggested that could be taught at the RVTI facility or its licensed partners as well as at various consumer RV shows which serves as a recruitment opportunity for future technicians he pointed out As Hemmeler sees it RVTIs end goal is when dealerships and service centers 46 RVBusiness S E P T E M B E R O C T O B E R 2 0 1 9 would be able to proudly display signage that the service they provide is Powered by RVTI meaning that we are the validator and the credentials their techs have earned validates their service operations as one that provides quality work Hopefully consumers will begin to look for Powered by RVTI validation too The consumer outreach is one thing but selling RVTI to the industry is another Toward that end Hemmeler has pursued an aggressive agenda to shape RVTI into being able to deliver on its ambitious goal to recruit train and retain RV service technicians He has traveled extensively to meet with stakeholders to explain what RVTI is all about as well as discover leverage opportunities In a little over a month for example Hemmeler was in California to meet with Tom Gaither RVIAs western show director to potentially use the California RV Show for tech recruitment as well as with several California based RV dealers to discuss our down the road recruitment activities After California he was in Chicago for the Outside Experience show where Go RVing had a large experiential display for attendees Hemmeler scouted the potential of experiential displays for tech recruitment as well he explained I do believe it will become a key piece of possibly recruiting for the RVTI school he said While mentioning that hes already been in touch with several state RV industry associations including Florida Oklahoma Michigan and New England other scheduled trips include meeting with dealers in Texas and New Jersey and at the National RV Dealers Convention Expo in Las Vegas This is my way of getting out there and making sure everyone understands how we are here to serve them in a way that works for their organization Its not just what we want to do but how they want to do it and how we can partner with them to do that Hemmeler said RVB