A Marriage between academics and the technical side at Shriver Job Corps
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A Marriage between academics and the technical side at Shriver Job Corps

In Job Corps, one without the other just doesn’t work. We’re talking about academics and technical training. Students have to do well in both areas to have a bright future in their new careers.

The Shriver Job Corps Center in Devens, Massachusetts understands the importance of bringing these two disciplines together to achieve student success.

Cement Instructor William Shine recently combined his cement students with students in the high school diploma class. He then began throwing questions at them like, how much concrete does one need to fill a given area? Mr. Shine also tested the students’ knowledge of math with scenarios about carpet installation.

The class used simple formulas to determine the amount and price of carpet or cement needed for a given job.

Student Ann Paradise says, “I think it’s awesome seeing how we use math in so much that we do in life.” 

The collaboration between academics and technical training also extended to culinary arts where students from both areas teamed up to learn how to make homemade pasta. Not only was it a fun and tasty way to spend a couple of hours—the students put into practice various math skills as they measured ingredients and created mouth-watering pasta.

Culinary student Elizabeth Virrola adds, “It’s very helpful to see how math is so important in all that we do.”