The National RV Training Academy (NRVTA) plans to accommodate twice as many advanced-level students in its 2021 RV Fundamentals courses.
Students need five weeks to become an NRVTA certified RV technician – one introductory week plus four weeks of courses. While that timeline remains the same, the new plan will allow as many advanced-level students to complete the course as possible.
Advanced training consists of air conditioners and heat pumps, absorption refrigerators, water heaters and furnaces, hydraulics and RV exteriors.
“The demand we’re seeing for training tells us that 2021 will be much busier than we’ve ever been,” NRVTA Administrator Evada Cooper stated. “We have a big, modern training center that we really haven’t stretched to its full capacity.”
Enrollment in RV Fundamentals courses consistently has exceeded 60 students, Cooper stated. A class that large isn’t feasible as a single group.
“So, class size for advanced technician courses will be cut in half, with two tracks offered simultaneously,” Cooper stated. “The following week, the classes switch.”
For example, Group A will learn about air conditioners during the first week, while Group B learns about refrigerators. The following week, the groups switch topics.
“This allows us to keep advanced classes smaller to allow for better interaction between students and instructors,” Cooper stated. “It also allows instructors to field more questions while guiding students through improved hands-on learning.”
The new plan will use all the classrooms and bays every day. NRVTA has hired several new instructors to guide students through a combination of classroom instruction and hands-on lab work.
“This will give students the knowledge of RV systems they need to properly diagnose issues,” Cooper stated. “But it will also give them more opportunity to apply their book knowledge to real-life situations in smaller hands-on labs. As a result, graduates will be able to hit the ground running either working for RV dealerships or in businesses of their own as RV inspectors and mobile service technicians.”
NRVTA released its 2021 training schedule this week. The schedule is available at www.nrvta.com.
