With new consumers turning to RV travel, the RV technician demand increased, the RV Technical Institute (RVTI) said.
RVTI was in Austin this week for the American School Counselor Association Annual Conference. Approximately 4,000 school counseling professionals were in attendance, including K-12 school counselors, college professors, graduate students, and school counseling supervisors.
RVTI partnered with RV Retailer (RVR) at the event to highlight the opportunities the RV industry offers to high school students looking forRV an alternative to a traditional four-year college degree. Discussions included RVTI training program implementation in public schools, allowing high school students across the country to graduate with Level 1 and Level 2 certifications.
At this year’s event, RVTI and RVR staff informed school counselors about the RV industry’s need for service technicians. Many counselors learned about the RV technician career path for the first time at the event, RVTI said.
RVR has the most RV dealership locations nationwide that are enrolled in RVTI’s curriculum, RVTI said.
“We had a great turnout and the partnership with RV Retailer was fantastic,” said Catherine Barsanti, an RVIA content manager who assisted the RVTI team. “They provided two towable RVs and we had so many curious individuals drawn to the booth because of them. Once we explained the RVTI program, we kept getting feedback such as, ‘This is awesome’ and ‘I had no idea this was an option.’ The exposure and awareness these events provide is invaluable and, with the number of counselors that mentioned the program was something they or a family member or friend would also be interested in, the reach extended far beyond schools alone.”
School guidance counselors help students become aware of otherwise unknown career opportunities, said Curtis Hemmeler, RVTI executive director.
“Establishing relationships and partnering with K-12 schools across the country is a monumental expansion of our Authorized Learning Partner program,” Hemmeler said. “Our team was excited to expand our partnership with RV Retailer earlier this year, and we are pleased to work with their team again. This event is a great chance to put the career path of an RV technician on high schools’ radar.”
