Action RV’s Jimmy O’Kelly had no idea what RV technical training entailed when he joined the team, but the Facebook program he was hired through will allow him to gain higher-level RV Technical Institute (RVTI) experience.
A partnership between Facebook and New Mexico Workforce Connections matched O’Kelly and the aftermarket service center. The pilot program places trained marketing interns in qualified businesses for job training and experience.
Along with paying a significant portion of his wages, the New Mexico employment center offered O’Kelly a $9,000 grant to continue training at Action RV. O’Kelly’s education will continue through RVTI.
“We look forward to having Jimmy join RV Technical Institute for training on the only industry-wide RV curriculum and certification program,” RVTI Executive Director Curt Hemmeler stated.
Action RV announced it hired O’Kelly to its permanent staff as a Level One RV Technician on Dec. 8. The business’ training process included the entire company, O’Kelly said, from the front desk to supervising technicians in the back.
Founder Mark Podeyn created a training program prior to the internship to ensure O’Kelly learned the essentials. The new hire soon will undergo higher-level RVTI training to further that experience.
“Mark has been an integral part of developing the institute’s curriculum and a huge supporter of our program,” Hemmeler stated. “It is out-of-the-box thinking and partnerships like this one between Action RV, Facebook and state unemployment offices that will allow more RV technicians to receive the training they need to service the new wave of RV consumers.”
