After a lot of hard work, the first class of students from the RV Technical Institute are ready to graduate.
This story by Katlin Connin originally appeared on WSBT News 22.
Ralph Decker is taking his final tests to become a certified RV technician. That wouldn’t be his first job, though.
“I’ve been retired for about almost 12 years now and I’m bored,” said Decker.
Decker figured he could complete the course and kill two birds with one stone – fix his own camper and get a job at a dealership.
Sharonne Lee, RVTI’s director of education, said she hopes the school can beef up the ranks of RV technicians around the country. She told us, on average, it takes 21 days for RV owners to get their rig back after sending it in for repair.
Lee says the classes offered are just a base. Students learn to be certified as Level 1 or Level 2 technicians, which means they inspect RVs before sale and repair them when they break down.
Once they leave the RV Technical institute, students can reach for Level 3, where they’ll some of five specialties, like appliance or chassis repair.
Lee says the RV Technical Institute is the only school like it in the country. She says it will act as a hub that develops and delivers curriculum to other training programs around the country.
