Bowtech has one as well that they offer to their dealers (Bowtech University). One of my bigger regrets not attending it when I worked at the shop in South Carolina... although... now that I'm working for a Bowtech dealer again... hmmm.... I can always learn something new.... and while you are there, you get to build your own bow... to keep.... of course, the class's tutition was at $1000 not including air travel to oregon, and that was in 2006. Could be more now.
The other place that I just recently heard of is the George Chapman school of Archery.... a shop up near my parents place is now touting that they have the only certified techs in the state... personally... I'm not going to name any shop names here.... but I have seen their work, and it is certifiable alright.....
..... but thats just my professional opinion.
Here is a list of what that school covers copied and pasted from their website... I'm not bashing the school... I know nothing about it... but I do know that a few of their grads obviously ain't using what they learned:
Topics Covered
* Compound bow technology
* Cam & Wheel timing
* Wheels and Cams
* Tuning
* Types of risers
* How to calculate kinetic energy
* How to measure draw length by ATA standards
* How to use a bow press and why you should charge a press fee
* How to change a left hand bow to a right hand bow
* How to measure tiller and brace height
* How to measure power stroke and what it does
* Arrows (Carbon and aluminum)
* How to find the % of let off (effective & AT standards)
* How manufacturers figure IBO ratings
I don't know what the school costs.... but I'll tell you right now that there isn't much there that you can't learn in under a month volunteering your time in the summer at a local bow shop. To me, it kinda just seems like a red badge of courage.......I was taken in by a mentor, and learned a lot of it on my own and from people that have been working on bows longer than I have been alive. Granted, I might not have any certifications... but I have a solid customer base that keeps coming back and keeps recommending me.
Infact.... I'll answer or disclose a lot of those topics for you right now in readers digest version... let me paste again:
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Compound bow technology - Thats kinda general...
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Cam & Wheel timing - Have to show you in person... basically you adjust the cables based on which cam is rolling over first.... you can lengthen a cable to make it turn over quicker, or shorten it to make it turn over later... you do this by adding or subtracting twists from the cables, and then fine tune it using the yokes (if available).
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Wheels and Cams - Thats general as well... and heck just check out timing.
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Tuning - That can mean a lot of things. By and large, tuning to me can mean either a complete new set up, or diagnosing an issue... the only way to get good at solving problems, is to work a lot of them and see them through. The more you mess with them, the quicker you can solve them... honestly a lot of the time its the user not the bow.
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Types of risers - Any bow shop will hand out product catalouges full of useful information on this.
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How to calculate kinetic energy Velocity(fps) x Velocity(fps) x Mass (gr) / 450,240
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How to measure draw length by ATA standards Low of the nock to low of the grip plus 1.75 inches
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How to use a bow press and why you should charge a press fee That is important.
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How to change a left hand bow to a right hand bow you got me there... unless its a slight of hand trick I'm totally clueless on that one.
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How to measure tiller and brace height Seriously... limb pockets to inside of the string and low of grip to the inside of the string.
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How to measure power stroke and what it does i think that is pertinent for an engineer to know, there are special tools and systems (notably by easton) that do that for you.
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Arrows (Carbon and aluminum) You can read all you want on arrows for free right here on HNI... and you'll find plenty of advice and knowledge regarding both
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How to find the % of let off (effective & AT standards) I don't know exactly how the ATA does let off... but I figure it with a good old fashion scale.
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How manufacturers figure IBO ratings - 70#, 30" draw, 350gr arrow, bare shaft, bare string with the exception of a single brass nocking point. There may be other standards, but if there are, I'm not aware of them.
Consider yourself a graduate!
Honestly, there are plenty of things you can learn in a class room.... but nothing you can learn in a class room that real hands on experience cannot teach you better. The biggest thing that a new bow tech can do, is have the humility to admit, in front of a customer to another bow tech, that they don't know what to do or are not comfortable with it. There are numerous times, everyday, where my colleauges and I confir on a bow.... how does this look... what do you think... hey take this measurement... watch while I draw this... what the hell is up with that.... more eyes, and more minds are more better. The knots, the know how, the experience, the do's the don'ts.... it just takes time....
There are lots of ways of doing things... basically I'll sum it up like this.... tuning and setting a bow is a lot like golf... everyone starts in the same spot, and ultimately wants to acheive the same spot (the hole).... some people go down the fairway and are on the green in regulation, some people go down the cart path or into the sand trap or water hazzard and take a drop, plenty of folks end up in the rough chopping away, some people cheat and tell someone unknowingly that their set up is right or that they really only got a single bogey on that last hole, or that the ball that everyone though went into the woods hit a tree and amazingly kicked back out onto the fairway, some folks just get drunk and just have fun..... but the hole is in the same spot for everyone... how much trouble it takes you to get there, and how you go about it is just a sumation of your learning and experience with the game.