Frequently Asked Questions

Is the New Curriculum and Certification Career Path Supported by the Industry?

The RV Industry Association and the RV Dealers Association contributed a combined $10 million dollars to create the curriculum, credentialing a career path for RV service technicians, along with an institute to deliver the new and improved curriculum. It is the only industry-wide supported path to certification.

Where is the RV Technical Institute Located?

The new 18,000 square foot facility, located at 3333 Middlebury Street in Elkhart, Ind., and sits on 3.34 acres. There are currently seven classrooms in the facility, 10,000 square feet of shop/bay space with 17-foot ceilings to accommodate two to three RVs - enough space for learning, depending on RV type, as well as space for component trainings.

What Does the New Technician Career Path Look Like and How Do Techs Achieve Each level?

The new technician career path is divided into four levels of proﬁciency. A technician will be awarded a Level 1, 2, 3 or Level 4 Master Technician credential based on successfully demonstrating the required knowledge and skills at each level. Each level builds on the foundation of the previous level and allows the technician to become a generalist or a specialist. The program will cover theory, application and troubleshooting.

LEVEL 1: A pre-delivery inspector (PDI) technician with a proven skill set to prepare an RV for customer delivery by verifying the operation of all components. To achieve this level, you must successfully pass Level 1 written and skill-based (practical) exams.
LEVEL 2: A technician that has theoretical knowledge of all the systems and components within an RV and a proven skill set to be able to perform basic diagnostics, troubleshooting, and repairs on those systems and components. To achieve this level, you must successfully pass Level 1 and 2 written and skill-based (practical) exams.
LEVEL 3: A technician that has completed the supplier trainings on speciﬁc types of components and increased their skill set to be able to perform advanced diagnostics, troubleshooting, and repairs on those systems and components. To achieve this level, you must successfully pass Level 1 and 2 written and skill-based (practical) exams as well as attend and pass 24-hours of approved hands-on vendor trainings within five years covering the minimum topics listed for each specialty.
LEVEL 4: The Master Technician has completed all five designated specialties through vendor trainings and is proﬁcient in troubleshooting and repair of all the major systems and components within an RV.

How Long Does Each RV Technical Institute Certification Last and What Do Techs Need to do to Re-certify?

LEVEL 1: Good for life with no re-certification or continuing education requirements. A yearly information and employment verification check-in are needed to stay active.
LEVEL 2: Good for five years. Over this period, the technician must acquire 24 hours of continuing education credits (CEUs) of approved hands-on or online training. No training older than five years will be counted and a yearly information and employment verification check-in are needed to stay active.
LEVEL 3: Good for five years. Over this period, the technician must acquire 24 hours of continuing education credits (CEUs) of approved hands-on or online training. Eight of the 24 hours of CEUs must be directly related to the specialty held. No training older than five years will be counted and no trainings can repeat. A yearly information and employment verification check-in are needed to stay active.
LEVEL 4: Good for five years. Over this period, the technician must acquire 24 hours of continuing education credits (CEUs) of approved hands-on or online training. These training can include participation in RV Technical Institute or other industry-approved activities such as curriculum development, train-the-trainer programs and leadership training No training older than five years will be counted and a yearly information and employment verification check-in are needed to stay active.

If a Technician's RVDA/RVIA Certification has Expired, are they Grandfathered into the New RVTI Program?

Valid certifications as of December 31, 2019 were transferred into the new program.

Any technician due for re-certification between January 1, 2020 to June 29, 2020 will be extended to December 31, 2020.

Technicians can visit the RVTI website, to log-in and record their trainings and attach their certificates. RVDA and RVTI staff are working together to transfer past certified technician data and creating new records and credentials in the new website portal. Technicians will receive emails (to their email on file) once their account has been created and their credential has been transferred. If there is no email or no unique email on file, a letter will be sent to the technician.

How Do Techs Transfer their RVDA/RVIA Certification to the New RVTI Certification?

Certifications under the previous RVDA/RV Industry Association Technician Certification Program were automatically transitioned to the RV Technical Institute. RVDA/RVIA certifications transitioned to the following designations under the new RV Technical Institute’s program:

Registered technicians were re-designated as a Level 1 Certified Technician. Level 1 Certification is good for life.
Certified Technicians were re-designated as a Level 2 Certified Technician
Certified Technicians with proof of required supplier trainings completed within the past five years will be granted the corresponding RV Technical Institute Level 3 specialty and re-designated as a Level 3 Certified Technician and/or a Level 4 Master Certified Technician, as appropriate.
Master Certified technicians were re-designated as a Level 4 Master Certified Technician

Current registered, certified or master certified technicians can expect to receive their new RV Technical Institute credentials at no charge during the 2020 transitional year. All expiration dates remain the same for current certifications.

Is the TnT Supplier Component Training Going Away?

While it will no longer be branded as TnT, supplier component training will continue to be a major focus for the institute; the institute will be keeping the pieces that are currently working in the TnT program and fixing the things that don’t.

The reimagined program incorporates the feedback RVTI has received from suppliers, technicians and dealers about the areas that are working the best and the pieces of TnT that have not been performing as well. Supplier stakeholders are excited about revamping technician training because the current system can be adjusted and corrected.

Where Can Techs Get Trained and Find a Schedule of Classes?

All RV Technical Institute classes are held at either at its headquarters facility in Elkhart, Ind., or provided through one of RVTI's Authorized Licensed Partners.

Sign up for an upcoming class here!

How Long is Each Class and What are the Costs?

Level 1 is a one week course plus testing on Saturday. The class $1,995 if you are not currently in the industry and $995 if you are.
Level 2 is a four week course. Review and proctored certification testing occurs on the last two days of the course. The class is $2,995.

How Do I Become an Authorized Learning Partner?

The RV Technical Institute’s Authorized Learning Partner program is a network of regional training partners approved to deliver the Institute's standardized training on a local or regional basis. Learning Partners have access to the programs full curriculum, training materials, learning management system (LMS) and testing, as well as training from the RV Technical Institute's staff on how to track student progress and deliver the curriculum. To become an RV Technical Institute Authorized Learning Partner, you must:

Use the LMS to track and register students, receive curriculum updates and deliver the curriculum to students
Ensure course instructors are Level 2 Certified RV Technicians who are certified in the Level they are teaching and have completed the week-long RVTI Train the Trainer Course
Participate in annual Trainer Conference
Meet minimum national average student completion and pass rates
Submit to program audits

Interested in becoming an Authorized Learning Partner?

Find out more here