Hi Jim, I have been wanting to make a point about all this. Most High School kids have no idea about skilled trades. All they hear about in school is that they need to go to college, and that is hammered to them all the time. When a 16 or 17 YO kid realizes that he isn’t college material he looses hope about his future. The trouble is minors under the age of 18 are not allowed to handle tools like grinders and power saws so the school don’t teach it. If young kids knew they could make $50K plus out of high school and had a chance to learn about a trade in HS, they wouldn’t loose hope. Ask any kid what a pipefitter, welder, boilermaker, HVAC,millwright or an instrument fitter does and he does not have a clue because they are not told and informed about those opportunities. They could start training in their last two years of high school and upon graduation have a damn good paying job.There is a big time shortage of skilled workers, we need schools that can prepare them before they are lost to the streets.
Things sure have changed. I was an industrial arts student myself. Crafts in 7th grade (including grinders, drill press, lathes, etc); algebra, woodshop in 8th; metalshop in 9th; metalshop II, plane geometry in 10th; radioshop, autoshop, mechanical drawing in 11th, 2nd year algebra in 12th. Had working knowledge and experience of all common hand tools, power tools, welders, etc, and basic electronics, schematics, wiring and radio while in school. Learned trigonometry and more advanced electronics and communications systems in the navy.