The on line prestudy information that he will receive, as well as any hands on guidance you might want to offer, should prepare Derrick for the class. There is no memorization of vocabulary involved in the class, and no exploration of areas of fibers, design, or chemistry that isn't relevant or practical to upholstery cleaning.
Talk it over with Derrick. This class might be full now already, so perhaps he could wait until my next west coast class if this one doesn't make sense for him right now.
Just know I'll do all that I can for him Mike.