Sentence:  Third , the significance of the vocational courses is that those enrolled are keenly interested in the <WSD>work</WSD> ; they realize the relevance of what they are learning to their future careers , and this sense of purpose is carried over to the academic courses which they are studying at the same time . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  applying the mind to learning and understanding a subject (especially by reading)