A job is the pot of gold at the end of their rainbow. The mini-mart at Rolla Technical Institute looks for all the world like a typical convenience store. Just inside the door is a deli counter and cash register. Coolers line the walls, and long rows of shelves are stocked with grocery items. But a sharp-eyed observer might notice a small classroom tucked off to one side of the big room.
Students learn by doing.
They run the store, waiting on customers, operating the cash register, stocking shelves and performing countless other tasks associated with the supermarket industry. When they're not busy minding the store, they're in the classroom, learning more skills and attitudes required in the world of work. For example, a supermarket manager might meet with the class to let students know how he expects employees to dress and behave. Classroom lessons can involve anything from special skills, like operating a shrink-wrap machine or pricing gun, to strategies for getting to work on time or dealing with an unhappy customer. More than 40 retailers now participate in the program.