RV Technical Institute Adds Chris Jachim to Trainer Staff

Chris Jachim

The RV Technical Institute’s (RVTI), the “gold standard” of RV technician training, has recently added Chris Jachim as a new instructor to the team, according to a News & Insights report by the RV Industry Association (RVIA).

RVTI provides the only industry-backed training curriculum and RV technician certification and career path. This hands-on, competency-based program was designed by Institute staff and subject matter experts from the supplier, manufacturer, dealer, and independent technician realms of the RV industry.

Having previously spent a decade in the RV industry as a service technician, Jachim brings a wealth of experience to his current position as a trainer for the RV Technical Institute. He has had a lifelong interest in the trades, first starting as an electrician in high school. However, he did not learn about the RV industry until much later in his career, when he was encouraged by a neighbor to apply at a nearby RV dealership. After securing a position as a service technician, Jachim immediately began learning by doing.

“I was happy to take on some of the more difficult jobs,” Jachim recalled. “I was working with master technicians, so if I didn’t know how to fix something, I would ask them questions and then take care of it.”

Eventually, after gaining a decade’s worth of service technician experience, Jachim learned there was an open instructor position at the RV Technical Institute. He now spends most of his days either instructing in the classroom or building in the Institute’s on-campus workshop.

“If the trainers aren’t in class, we’re in the shop, where we’re either making new workstations for students or double checking that the stations we’ve already prepared are ready for the next class,” explained Jachim. The stations offer students hands-on opportunities to practice fixing an RV themselves. While Chris often makes updates and improvements to the stations, part of his role is also ensuring that “what’s supposed to be incorrect at the station is still incorrect,” so the next group of students have an opportunity to repair the problem.

Jachim’s responsibilities offer him the opportunity to blend his technician experience with his enjoyment of teaching. “It’s good to have technician skills so you can give good examples and stories in the classroom,” he said. “It engages the students and helps with communication.”

He added that his role allows him to meet different people from all different fields and skill levels.

“A lot of the students in our Level 1 classes are RV owners who want to learn how to fix their vehicle themselves,” he said. “Others are mobile technicians, and some work for dealerships.”

In addition to the class’s varying skill sets, many of Jachim’s students also have different learning styles. While some learn better through explanations in the classroom, others prefer the hands-on experience of the workshop. “It’s great to see how many people are coming here for the class and showing interest,” he said. “The students come from a range of backgrounds, so I have the chance to meet a lot of different people.”

Ultimately, Jachim feels at home in his current role: “This is an industry that I don’t see going away anytime soon. I wish I’d learned about it 20 years earlier—I would’ve had a career in it sooner!”

Source: https://rvbusiness.com/rv-technical-institute-adds-chris-jachim-to-trainer-staff/