FAQs

Yes! 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.

Our instructors have thousands of hours of experience as real-world technicians in the field and bring that wisdom into the lab. The RV Technical Institute also partners directly with manufacturers, suppliers and leading experts to deliver you the strongest and most up-to-date RV technician training available. We’ve identified the key areas of required knowledge and expertise needed to develop the skills for a well-rounded technician. Our comprehensive courses are built upon decades of experience and the modern day know-how to educate not only on yesterday’s RVs, but how RVs today are built, maintained, and ready for adventure. Learn more about why RVTI is the gold standard in RV technician training.

RV Technicians are in demand like never before. The RV community is growing rapidly, but the number of well-trained RV techs hasn't been growing at the same pace. In addition to working in the adventurous RV industry, RV technicians enjoy a median salary of $42,400, the flexibility to work and live anywhere in the country, and exciting career opportunities. No matter your training pathway, the ability to secure a stable and well-paid career in RV service has never been better with 97% year over year job growth.

The 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 with the program covering theory, application and troubleshooting.

Learn more about the RVTI technician training career pathway.

An annual individual subscription costs $600 includes Level 1 and Level 2 training and one attempt at each exam. Retests cost an additional $75.00 per exam that needs to be retaken.

A location subscription gives a corporate location the ability to enroll an unlimited number of employees/technicians into Level 1 & 2 training and testing. Location subscriptions costs $1500. If there are multiple locations a location subscription is required for each location.

All training, testing and re-testing must be completed by the end of the annual subscription or must be renewed for another year to complete. 

Yes! Learn more about our RV tech scholarship and financial aid opportunities.

Level 1 is a 40 hour one week course that includes a two-hour written and two-hour performance exam on the last day of class.

Level 2 is a 130 hour three week course that includes a 3-hour written an 3-hour performance exam on the last day of class.

All RV Technical Institute classes are held online, at our headquarters facility in Elkhart, Indiana, or provided through one of of our Authorized Learning Partners. Interested in our individual annual subscription for easy online access? Enroll here.

90-120 days. Compared to the two-year time commitment for the average trade school, RVTI technician training helps you gain the required skills needed to jumpstart your career, faster. Learn more about the RVTI training levels for RV technicians.

Possibly! Check if your company already has a corporate subscription on our learning partners page.

• Click here to view the schedule of live/hybrid classes available.
• To attend a live class at RVTI, you must first purchase an individual subscription.
• Once your subscription has been purchased the online training course will automatically be loaded into your learner dashboard.
• DO NOT access the online training course. Instead, email RVTI at certfication@rvti.org or call 574-549-9080 to get moved into the live or hybrid training session.
• A confirmation for the new live or hybrid training session with schedule and instructions will be emailed to you.

The 18,000 square foot facility is located at 3333 Middlebury Street in Elkhart, Indiana, and sits on 3.34 acres. There are five classrooms in the facility with 10,000 square feet of shop/bay space to accommodate two to three RVs.

In Level 1 training, current and future RV techs will learn about and demonstrate knowledge of Propane, Electrical, Plumbing, Appliances, Body, Generator and Chassis systems. A student who successfully completes the training will have a proven skill set to prepare an RV for customer delivery by verifying the operation of all components.

Program Details:

• Includes: 7 Courses, 11 Modules, 39 Learning Outcomes, 32 Labs and Activities
• Length of time to complete the program: 1 week for in-person.

Program Availability:

• Online or In-Person at the RV Technical Institute, an Authorized Dealer or Authorized Learning Partner

To Qualify and Remain Level 1 Certified:

• Must successfully pass Level 1 written and skill-based (practical) exams
• Certification is good for life with no re-certification or continuing education requirements
• Technician must keep their personal information and employment information up-to-date in the LMS

In Level 2 training, RV technicians develop theoretical knowledge of all the systems and components within an RV, including Propane, Electrical, Plumbing, Appliances, Body, Generator and Chassis. A student who successfully completes the training will leave with a proven skill set to be able to perform basic diagnostics, troubleshooting, and repairs on those systems and components.

Program Details:

• Includes: 7 Courses, 28 Modules, 184 Learning Outcomes, 111 Labs and Activities
• Length of time to complete the program: 3 weeks for in-person, or 12 weeks for hybrid. 11 weeks are taken online with one week in-person.
• Must be Level 1 Certified to take Level 2

Program Availability:

• Online, Hybrid, or In-Person at the RV Technical Institute, an Authorized Dealer or Authorized Learning Partner

To Qualify and Remain Level 2 Certified:

• Must successfully pass Level 1 and 2 written and skill-based (practical) exams
• Certification is good for 5 years. Over this period, the technician must acquire 24 hours of continuing education credits (CEUs) of approved hands-on or online trainings.
• Technician must keep their personal information and employment information up-to-date in the LMS

Yes. In lieu of the fully self-paced online courses, your RVTI Individual Subscription can be changed to attend live classes at our Elkhart Campus or the hybrid course. To change your course delivery method, you must NOT access the on-line class and contact RVTI staff at 574-549-9080 or by email, to be placed into a specific class. The account should be purchased and created under the name and email of the learner/technician, and the individual will receive additional information on testing, course progression, and other training opportunities and information. Link over to our In-Person RV Tech training page for additional information. 

RVTI deliver the gold standard in technician training, working directly with manufacturers, suppliers and leading RV experts for the most up-to-date training available. Courses are built upon decades of experience and the modern day know-how to teach you not only on yesterday’s RVs, but how RVs today are built, maintained and ready for adventure. In order to be recognized and hold an RVTI certification, you must take and pass our certification exams.

• 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 RV Technical Institute’s program:
• Registered technicians were re-designated as a Level 1 Certified Technician. Level 1 Certification is good for life with no re-certification or continuing education requirements.
• 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

Valid/current RVDA/RVIA certifications as of June 30, 2020 are eligible for transfer into the new program. Any technician due for re-certification between January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020 will be extended to March 31, 2021. To validate your information and verify you are eligible to transfer your credentials, please use the steps above.

After we match your registration information to the RVDA/RVIA list, your new certificate will be issued and can be found in your transcript.

• Go to www.rvti.org
• Click on "sign in to your account" in the upper right corner.
• Enter the email and password you created during the registration process (if you did not register you will not have an account).

You will receive an email from "certification@rvti.org" verifying your submission OR asking for further information.

• Level 1: Good for life with no re-certification or continuing education requirements. Technicians must keep their personal information and employment information up-to-date in their RVTI profile.
• 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. Technician must keep their personal information and employment information up-to-date in their RVTI profile..
• 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. Technician must keep their personal information and employment information up-to-date in their RVTI profile..
• 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. Technician must keep their personal information and employment information up-to-date in their RVTI profile..

The RV Technical Institute’s Authorized Learning Partner program is a network of regional training partners approved to deliver RV Technical Institute’s standardized training on a local or regional basis. Learning Partners have access to the Institute’s full curriculum, training materials, learning management system (LMS) and testing, as well as training from the 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 have completed the three week-long RV Technical Institute’s Train the Trainer Course
• Attend the Annual RV Technical Institute’s Trainer Conference in Elkhart, Ind.
• Ensure proctoring of exams are not done by dealer employees
• Meet minimum national average student completion and pass rates
• Submit to program audits

Learn more about becoming an authorized RVTI Learning Partner.

You must purchase based on how many locations your corporation has that will be using the subscription. For example, if you have 6 locations/rooftops, you would order 6 subscriptions. Once the purchase is made, you may choose the delivery option for each learner choosing from a fully self-paced online course, live classes at our Elkhart Campus OR the Hybrid course in lieu of the fully self-paced online courses.

3-5 business days, depending upon receipt of required forms and the number of locations purchased to create your corporate annual subscription.

You can reach us at 574-549-9080 or 1-800-664-0154. We look forward to hearing from you!