FRVTA Training Director Discuses New Learning Website

RV Business

RIVERVIEW, Fla. – After spending 18 years in training and development and then running a training program for a six-store RV dealership, Veronica Helms quickly realized how hard it was to gather information about the RV industry.

“Through that experience,” said Helms, who now serves as the director of training for the

Florida RV Trade Association (FRVTA), “it helped me understand that if I’m having an issue and I am here laying the ground work for all the employees under this dealer, how difficult must it be for others across the industry to hone in on what’s important.”

Veronica Helms

When Helms joined the team at Riverview, Fla.-based FRVTA in 2019, it was that experience that became the impetus for the trade group’s recently-launched RV Distance Learning Network website – RVDLN.org.

Designed to provide information about all facets of the RV industry in a single, easy-to-navigate website, the Distance Learning Network was unveiled during early November’s RV Dealers Association Convention and Expo in Las Vegas.

“After I moved into the role with FRVTA as their education director, it was like an entire new world opened up – manufacturers, aftermarket suppliers,” Helms said. “And I started connecting the dots and I thought, the most important thing in an organization is speed of competency. Employers pay heavy dollars into their training strategies to ensure employees quickly learn their job roles and understand the business. Not only in brand format, but also in the industry they serve.

“And there was not one platform, not one area where I could find all things RV related as I was growing and learning within my own role,” she added. “So it really came from my own experience having a tough time trying to figure out who’s who and where they belong in the industry.”

She approached the team and board of directors at FRVTA who saw the value of a platform to help people quickly access information and learn about the RV industry.

The mission of the new website is straight forward.

“We want to build knowledgeable RV employees,” Helms said. “And we want to ensure access to relevant and current information.”

The website is available to anyone involved in the RV industry nationwide, Helms said, buFRVTA envisions that employees at dealerships would benefit most from RVDLN.org.

“A lot us, when we came into the industry and were hired in from the employer’s standpoint, we went through orientation and onboarding,” she said. “We’re thrown so much business acumen information – learn this about who we are and learn this about your job role.”

She also pointed out that a significant number of employees are moving from automotive and other industries into leadership positions in the RV sector.

“Managers, supervisors, directors,” she said. “And they’re saying, ‘I know how to manage teams and read reports, but this is a huge business.’ And it’s helping them fill those gaps. This is a resource center where they can click on information and gather as much training resources as they need to make decisions for their role within the dealership or service center.”

There is no charge for the service and all potential users need to do is go on the website, click on the “JOIN US” tab and fill out the subscription portion. After that, the organization will provide a username and password.

Helms said the new website is the next step in FRVTA’s longstanding role as a leader in RV training.

“We’ve been, for more that 20-some years, a leader in the training world and I think our focus was heavily on service training,” she said. “So I think for the association, it’s important for us to still be in our space and still living up to what our mission has always been – to make sure the industry goes forward.”

A large part of that is to help employers retain competent employees.

“Every time an employee has an interaction with a customer, your brand is out there,” she said. “Every time they are not quite sure of what the answer should be, that customer interaction creates a customer experience. So if we can provide education to the field and to our industry, then we’re helping the industry move forward.”

According to information provided by the FRVTA, RVDLN.org will help RV employees learn about RV companies in the following areas: