Trouble Shooter Clinic
The Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA) is the national trade association representing recreation vehicle (RV) manufacturers and their component parts suppliers who together build more than 98 percent of all RVs sold in the U.S. and approximately 90 percent of all RVs sold in Canada.
The RVIA Education Department plays an active role in fostering a positive learning community that encourages keen involvement of members and staff to cultivate educational alliances to benefit the RV industry. The Education Department has maintained as its primary focus the development of technical information for dissemination to industry stakeholders and the development of learning communities that support lifelong learning. Textbooks published by RVIA are used by all institutions offering RV service technician training programs.
The first Trouble Shooter Clinic was held in Orlando, Florida in 1989. In its early stage, clinics were organized throughout the United States. Entry-level and seasoned technicians would attend the clinics to gain valuable hands-on experience to practice trouble shooting techniques on RV components.
Four training tracks were developed and participants are granted Continuing Education Credits (CEC) upon successful completion of the respective training track:
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Canadian dealers and technicians sometimes take part in factory training provided by RV manufacturers and independent component suppliers. While the training is invaluable, the seminars were only held in the US. Canadian dealers often request to have the same training opportunities available in Canada but such opportunities were limited. In observing the success of RVIA’s Trouble Shooter Clinic model where numerous component suppliers would come together for the duration of 3, 4 or 5 days and offer the essential training at one venue, RVDA of Canada invited RVIA to conduct the first Canadian Trouble Shooter Clinic in 2013.
2020 Calgary Trouble Shooter Clinic
Out of an abundance of caution, this event has been cancelled. We’re hopeful to offer this training event in 2022.
2019 Halifax Trouble Shooter Clinic
The 2019 Halifax Trouble Shooter Clinic offered 5 full days of training from: Airxcel Coleman/Mach Air, BAL, Demco, Dexter, Equal-i-zer & Fastway, Go Power and Lippert Components.
The classes are highly interactive with small class size to ensure everyone got the attention they deserve. See training photos.
2018 Saskatoon Trouble Shooter Clinic
This premier technician training event was held in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan from October 29 through November 2, 2018.
See event photos
2017 Toronto Trouble Shooter Clinic
Have you noticed a pattern? The 2016 Trouble Shooter Clinic was held in Calgary, Alberta and in 2017, we took it East to Toronto (Burlington), Ontario!
There were three, different, 5-day schedules to choose from.
All classes were held concurrently in (mostly) one place at the Holiday Inn Burlington Hotel and Conference Centre. We arranged for a motorhome and trailer for the hands-on portion of Spyder Controls electrical systems and for towing & hitches.
We are committed to offering the best training experience for all participants. This meant that all classes had mock ups to work on.
See event photos
2016 Calgary Trouble Shooter Clinic
This clinic was held in Calgary, Alberta from October 24 to 28, 2016 at the Clarion Hotel and Conference Centre Calgary and SAIT Polytechnic.
3 training tracks was offered including: appliances, power sources and running gear, hydraulics, levelling, towing & hitches.
2015 Halifax Trouble Shooter Clinic
35 technicians participated in the 5-day clinic from November 16 to 20, 2015, comprising of training from Airxcel A/C, Atwood, Conneticut Electric, Girard Products, Lippert Components, Norcold/Thetford, and Surburban. The enthusiasm from the technicians were overwhelming despite the sub-zero temperatures outside! There were a lot of equipment for the technicians to get their hands on and a lot of discussions took place.
For all the instructors, it was their first time travelling to the Atlantic region. From the trainers’ perspective, they thoroughly enjoyed the experience since it was highly interactive.
With a long wait list heading into this clinic, there is definitely an appetite for more technician training in the region.
A reception was held to welcome all the participants to this clinic on November 17th. The generous support and sponsorship from various industry partners below were acknowledged at the reception.
Photos from the Halifax TSC
2014 Montreal Trouble Shooter Clinic
This clinic was held from November 17 to 21, 2014 in Montreal. The clinic had the maximum capacity with 122 registrations. 3 training tracks were again offered and open to all technicians across North America; Appliances, Power Sources, and Running Gear, Hydraulics, Slide-outs & Towing.
This was the first large-scale, advanced technician training event to be held in Quebec. The clinic was also fully bilingual with simultaneous interpretation. Translating all the course materials into French and offering on-site simultaneous interpretation was a monumental task but we made it happen! We were pleased that we’re able to offer training in French to technicians in Quebec. In preparation for this clinic, the interpreters studied the course manuals and were familiar with the terminology in advance. Both the instructors and the technicians were very impressed by the professionalism and the accuracy of the interpretations with no interruptions to the class.
While the majority of the participants were from the Montreal area, technicians also came from Saskatchewan, Ontario, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, California, Texas and Florida.
Photos for the 2014 Montreal Trouble Shooter Clinic
2013 Calgary Trouble Shooter Clinic
A total of 87 technicians participated in the Calgary TSC from November 4 to 7, 2013.
In partnership with RVIA, RVDA of Alberta, and SAIT Polytechnic, 3 training tracks were offered: Appliances, Power Sources, and Running Gear, Hydraulics, Slide-outs & Towing.
Some technicians have attended similar training events in the past but some have not and were impressed with the setup, especially with actual equipment and components to troubleshoot. Additional equipment and supplies were also supplied by SAIT Polytechnic. The technicians readily commented that all the instructors emphasized the importance of performing diagnostics and repairs efficiently but most importantly, done correctly. The trainers worked well alongside one another and were impressed with all technicians having solid foundation. Moreover, the trainers were most impressed with student attentiveness and positive attitudes toward learning. While this clinic would normally include a foundation track, it was felt that more advanced training is in demand by Canadian technicians. Amongst each track, students were further divided into groups by years of experience. This enabled the instructors to quickly adjust their presentation based on the students’ knowledge base.
This is a highly popular training event.
