Seven high school juniors and seniors from Indianapolis-based Central Christian Academy recently completed their training to become Level 1 certified RV technicians through a class hosted at Blue Compass RV.
Both the Central Christian Academy and Blue Compass RV are Learning Partners with the RV Technical Institute (RVTI).
The class, which ran from Jan. 3-12, is part of a special series of offerings at Central Christian Academy known as J-term. The Level 1 course took place on site at a local Blue Compass RV facility, previously known as the Colerain Family RV of Indianapolis. The location was perfectly suited to allow students to learn in a classroom as well as step into a hands-on experience in an actual Blue Compass RV service facility.
RVTI’s teacher training program with its Level 1 curriculum has served as a perfect bridge connecting Blue Compass RV with interested Central Christian Academy students, creating a dynamic learning community that mutually benefits both organizations in reaching their mission.
“Our team at Blue Compass RV Indianapolis is excited to partner with Central Christian Academy. Seeing their students choose to commit to a career in the RV industry is inspiring, so given the opportunity to help support their students to achieve their RV Technical Institute certification was an opportunity we could not pass up,” said Jon Ferrando, founder, CEO and president of Blue Compass RV. “We take pride in our commitment to tech training across the industry and our 100 RV dealerships from coast to coast through our relationship with the RV Technical Institute. We look forward to continuing this partnership and hope to work closely with other high schools near our Blue Compass locations across the country.”
The class instructor, Joseph Viselli, serves as a full-time high school teacher at the Central Christian Academy.
“The process of developing Joseph as a Level 1 trainer with RV Technical Institute was simple and inexpensive. The partnership, with Blue Compass RV providing a wonderful facility and potential employment for our students, is a dream scenario,” said Academic Director Jerry Stayton.
“We’re excited to see Blue Compass RV working with Central Christian Academy to help build the pipeline of trained service technicians,” says Curt Hemmeler, RVTI executive director. “We applaud the initiative taken by both Learning Partners; Blue Compass RV provided access to their facility so that Central Christian Academy can train their students in the Level 1 curriculum. This is an awesome way to represent our program’s ongoing investment in informing high schoolers about this career. Some of the high schoolers may be interested in a career that differs from a traditional four-year university. Embracing a trade career as an RV service technician is a viable option that’s currently in high demand. We look forward to seeing these students achieve their Level 1 certifications and we hope they’ll choose to keep building on their RV tech skills after graduation.”
The RV Technical Institute’s Learning Partners have access to the institute’s full technician curriculum, course materials, learning management system and the first attempt at testing. Learning Partners receive ongoing instructor training on the curriculum and tips on delivery and labs to help teach the curriculum and track their students’ progress.
In Level 1 training, current and future RV techs learn about and demonstrate knowledge of the seven RV systems. Students who successfully complete the training will have a proven skill set to prepare an RV for customer delivery by verifying the operation of all components.