The residential and educational system adds to its growing list of vocational training programs
10/23/12 – Narragansett / Providence, RI – The Ocean Tides School and Residential facility have added a new vocational program to its list of hands on education programs. From auto detailing, lawn care, wood turning, carpentry, wood working, and culinary programs, Ocean Tides now offers Small Engine Repair, hosting the program at both the Narragansett and Providence campuses.
At the Narragansett site, teacher Ryan Abedi works with the boys in the job training center on campus. In Providence, the school has partnered with Howdy’s Auto Center for this new program, along with other vocational experiences. Howard Cooke, a certified auto mechanic for many years, prepares the boys in a variety of ways. He begins his classes with the examination and repair of small engines and then takes them to higher levels of learning and understanding. In the initial stages of the program, Cooke and students will disassemble lawn mowers, go-carts, leaf blowers, and other small engines, examine and repair them. Then upon completion of those tasks, Cooke introduces students to larger classes of engines, including automobiles and trucks.
“He (Cooke) allows them to really get the full experience of working in a fast-pace auto center,” said Gary Comunale, Director of Vocational Training at Ocean Tides School. “The boys really love their time with Howard and they even receive a nice set of tools at the end of the program as a reward. We really can’t thank Howard enough for the time and energy he spends with our students.
Several of the Ocean Tides boys enlisted Howard as their Senior Mentor for the required graduation requirement last year, and the school anticipates doing the same for at least one young man this semester.
“Howard and many of the local vocational specialists in the Providence area truly represent what we are trying to do with our vocational programs at Ocean Tides; that is, to introduce our boys to the world of work by giving them real, “hands-on” field experiences and by doing so, allowing them to explore attainable careers for themselves,” said Comunale.
photos: Teacher, Ryan Abedi, works with students in the job training center on the Narragansett campus fixing lawn mowers, vacuum cleaners, garden tillers, and numerous other small engines and equipment.