The National RV Training Academy (NRVTA) said it expects a record-breaking 63 students to attend the revised RV Fundamentals course in Athens, Texas, this week.
The prior record of 48 students was set four months ago, NRVTA stated in a press release, making this course’s group the largest in the academy’s history.
“We were blown away by the enrollment numbers,” NRVTA Marketing Director Tony Flammia stated. “The size of the class shows us that many people are looking for options after losing their jobs earlier this year or realizing they need more control over their income. This as a positive sign that people see a career as an RV technician or inspector as a lucrative opportunity to be in business for themselves.”
A surge of people seeking information about RV maintenance and careers in the industry prompted the academy’s staff and faculty to expand their training accommodations, stated Terry “Cooper” Cooper, founder of the NRVTA.
To comply with COVID-19 restrictions, the staff set up 63 6-foot tables scattered throughout all three of the academy’s service bays. Each student has their own table that doubles as a workspace for hands-on training, NRVTA stated.
The RV Fundamentals course replaced the RV Basic Maintenance Training as the introductory course each student must complete before taking advanced training options. With more hands-on labs, the class provides an overview of RV electrical, propane and water systems, as well as air conditioners, absorption refrigerators, water heaters, furnaces and RV exteriors.
After the five-day intensive training, graduating students will be able to diagnose and fix about 80 percent of common RV problems that people experience, Cooper stated. He added that the demand for trained RV technicians and inspectors has been high for decades, but has accelerated as nearly 1 million new RVs were sold in the past three years.
“That’s a big help for full-time RVers who don’t want to be dependent upon the ability to get a service appointment in order to get simple things fixed,” Cooper stated.
Two more five-day RV Fundamentals classes are scheduled Nov. 2 and Nov. 30. The cost to attend training is $1,644 plus tools.
