RV Tip of the Day

High School RV Construction Program Gets Help From Thor Motor Coach

Steven Fletcher
RV Construction Students

RV Construction program familiarizes students with different power tools, electrical wiring, and plumbing, all skills used in building a recreational vehicle.

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For the past five months, Thor Motor Coach participated in Northwood High School’s RV Construction graduation pathway program. 

The RV Construction graduation pathway program was approved in December 2018 by the Indiana State Board of Education as one of the state’s new “locally created pathways.” The RV Construction program familiarizes students with different power tools, electrical wiring, and plumbing, all skills used in building a recreational vehicle.

(Pictured left to right): Northwood High School seniors Xavier, Noah, Nolen, and Jacob, stand near their final motorhome mock-up during this past year’s successful partnership with Thor Motor Coach.

The specialized course, Building and Facility Management, was taught by industrial arts teacher Damon Hummel. Hummel worked with Stan Murphy, purchasing manager at Thor Motor Coach, to teach students how to run plumbing lines through a mock-up built onsite at the school. Everyone became invested– local vendors donated building materials, and Thor Motor Coach employees Andrey Maryuschchenko, diesel engineer, and Robert Querry, plant manager, were closely involved as well. Next year Hummel has plans to introduce electrical wiring. The program’s first year featured seven students, and with word of its success, 17 students already enrolled for the next school year.

Wa-Nee Community Schools superintendent Scot Croner said the program is tailor-made to give students the skills they need to fill open jobs in the RV industry. But rather than a single new course, the pathway includes a number of different classes, along with traditional high school courses, for students.

“It’s a sequence of courses, in addition to what you would think about in regards to the construction component of it,” said Croner. “Kids will still sit for English, math and other classes.”  Students compleating the program will receive “preferential interviewing” with Thor Industries.

Participating in educational programs has always been part of Thor Motor Coach’s culture. Thor Motor Coach has been a key player in The Crossing, a job training program for high school aged students since 2015, and has an onsite classroom in Wakarusa to provide extra convenience for the students. 

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