The National RV Training Academy (NRVTA) has announced it has hired an equipment manager to assist in preparing classrooms for teacher-led instruction as well as hands-on labs.
Drue McMillian attended classes at the Big Red School House last year and became an NRVTA-certified RV technician. When his wife, Laura Stewart, was tapped to become a student advisor at the school, it opened the door for McMillian to help people taking training classes as well.
He is responsible for setting up classrooms and making sure instructors have the tools and equipment they will need for that day’s class. He also sets up individual workstations for hands-on labs by ensuring equipment is in place for students and teaching assistants to use.
With class sizes exceeding 65 students some weeks, McMillian said it’s a daunting task to stay ahead of the frequently changing equipment requirements.
For example, to set up a hands-on lab for air conditioners, he will need to bring out several dozen units from storage and ready them on work benches. At the end of the day, the air conditioners go back into storage and dozens of refrigerators are set up in their place.
Working with a variety of equipment comes easy to the Louisiana native, he said, thanks to his many years of construction experience. The fact that McMillian already completed NRVTA training is a plus because he knows what instructors want as well as how students need equipment to be set up to properly diagnose and repair the components, according to NRVTA.
“I really like the atmosphere at this school,” McMillian explained. “There is a lot of activity every day and that creates a great deal of energy all by itself. “I also enjoy interacting with dozens of students from around the country,” he added. “They all have different stories about what prompted them to seek training at NRVTA and what their goals are once they graduate. It’s fun to be able to play a small role in their future success.”
