RV Technical Institute Review: A Great Way To Get Certified Without The Travel

When the RV Technical Institute announced it would offer its Level One course for technicians completely online through a self-paced program, 26-year-old Jonathan Martin was one of the first to sign up. Working as a service manager and technician at one of his family’s four RV dealerships, he was anxious to improve his RV diagnostic and repair skills. Yet he was stressed by the increased workload at RV Value Mart’s four eastern Pennsylvania dealerships due to this year’s surge in RV sales.

Martin already had hands-on tech experience, but he wanted more—and he wanted to get certified through the RV Technical Institute. The all-new self-paced program allows students to perform labs virtually through the interactive platform instead of just reading.

“There’s a need for certified techs throughout this industry, and this was a great opportunity to get certified without all the travel,” Martin explains. “I saw a news article that the RV Technical Institute’s online courses were being made available, and it was just what I was hoping for. It meant I could study for the Level One course in my free time, which was on the weekends, and schedule my proctor test when I wanted.”

Martin buckled down and completed the course quickly after he enrolled, and then took—and passed—both the written exam and the written performance exam a couple of weeks later.

“It’s favorable for dealerships to have RV Technical Institute-certified techs,” Martin says, noting that several of RV Value Mart’s techs became certified pre-COVID, and that his brother, Jolan, also enrolled for Level One online. “I would like to go on to levels two and three, to further what I’ve learned. That would benefit our entire service department.”

Martin says that flexibility of the online program was key to his ability to finish Level One quickly and easily. “In the past, the courses took so much extra time. For me, it was a much more difficult way to learn. Now, you can complete it as you go. It was a great idea to make the courses available online. It’s the future of tech learning.”

The self-paced, online program is currently offered for RV Technical Institute’s Level One class where students will complete modules on Propane Systems, Electrical Systems, Water Systems, Appliances, Generators, Chassis, and Body. An RV technician who successfully passes the class and Level One exam will have the knowledge and skills needed to prepare an RV for customer delivery by verifying the operation of all components.

To learn more about the RV Technical Institute and available courses, click here.