The R3VT Academy
Jake Adams had a burgeoning desire to turn his years of expertise in the Revit software programme into an online offering for his clients.
But like many subject experts, he had no idea what was involved or how to get started.
We helped Jake shape his plans and created The R3VT Accelerator – an innovative online programme that is now helping new Revit apprentices in architectural practices across the UK.
Ditching the day rate
Having spent years creating technical drawings for his clients as a freelancer, Jake had an uncomfortable feeling that he wasn’t using his extensive skillset in structural draughting and the Revit software package to his full advantage.
Keen to move away from simply selling his time to his clients, he spotted online learning as a potential route to sharing his expertise more widely.
With the ability to scale and reach more people, the opportunity to open up new revenue streams for his business seemed obvious. Yet he had little idea what type of online programme would work best, how to go about building it and simply how to get started.
As his strategic and technical partner throughout, we helped Jake bring his vision to life. As a result he’s now selling his blended training programme to clients across the UK and increasingly living life on his terms.
“I really enjoy my contracting work. I get to work on some fantastic projects with my clients. But I’ve developed some real technical skills, largely through my own practice, that I knew I could monetise online somehow. I just didn’t know how.
Thanks to the work I’ve done with Candle Digital, I now have an online learning programme that has transformed my life and those of my students.”
Shaping Jake’s vision
Jake is one of life’s go-getters. From our early conversations, we knew he was committed to making this happen and making it a big success. But stepping beyond contracting was still a big step into the unknown and Jake needed the reassurance that he was making the right decision and had the right partners in place.
We kicked our partnership off with our discovery process. Together we refined Jake’s plans and gave him some fresh ideas to shape his online programme.
Armed with a detailed understanding of his target audience, we were able to design a high-impact learning experience with their needs firmly at the centre.
Giving new structural technicians the start that Jake never had
Through our discussions and market research, it became quickly apparent that new apprentices are faced with challenges beyond their abilities in using Revit. For many apprentices in their first role, they needed help developing collaborative and communication skills too to help them succeed in the workplace.
We spotted an opportunity to combine these.
Together we designed a 12-week blended learning programme based on walkthrough videos and regular group calls. Learners would be tasked with fortnightly challenges that tied technical drawing skills with real work scenarios, for which they would receive personalised feedback from Jake.
We were also aware that forging strong connections between the groups of new apprentices would help them learn from each other too. We incorporated social learning elements throughout the course to provide a safe environment for the students to build their confidence, share stories and ultimately help them develop rapidly in their roles.
The R3VT Academy
Jake’s custom training platform houses his Revit Accelerator programme, which is now helping new apprentices all across the UK.
Built in WordPress and using LearnDash, BuddyBoss and custom code, the R3VT Academy gives Jake the platform to deliver a high-impact learning experience to his students.
With his ambitions to build more online programmes in the future, this is all possible with the flexible nature that open-source technology provides.
“I couldn’t have done it without Candle Digital’s help. They took the time to understand me, my business and my customers, and as a result of all our hard work I’ve got an online learning programme that I’m really proud of. More importantly, it’s making a big difference to my clients and their teams.
My vision is to reduce my contracting work further so I can focus on attracting more training clients and building more training products.
With Candle Digital’s guidance and technical help, I know I’m in safe hands and have the right people I can lean on at any time to make this an even bigger success.
I’ve never been more excited about the future of my business and the adventure ahead.”