“Manual arts” / trade schools were a common sense alternative to high school in California years ago but were abolished when the liberals and leftists took charge of government and education.
They used to have manual arts - ‘shop’ - in Jr. high and high school. I think that may have interested a lot of young people to go into trade schools later.
When I went to school, the girls took ‘home ec’ - sewing, cooking - while the boys took shop. When my husband went, boys and girls were taking some of both.
I don’t think they have these things at all anymore (?)