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John Ratzenberger is correct about the fact that we need to go back to teaching shop class in school. Even if it doesn’t lead you down a career path you’ll be able to put up a wall that doesn’t fall down.

I have a PhD in Mathematics. I also still have the little footstool I made in high school shop class, where I learned to use almost every one of the tools in the carpenters' toolkit. I've never regretted the time spent in woodworking shop or mechanical drawing. The skills learned there have served me well in life, even though I never held a job as a carpenter.

Whether they learn to use handtools in school or from their father, children need to know those things.

When I was teaching in Turkey, one day my department chairman remarked to me that the big difference between the engineering students he knew when he studied in America, and the students coming into Turkish universities, was that American engineering students were familiar with hand tools. I wonder if that's still true.

When Honda first set up shop in central Ohio, they found a work force straight off the farm, in most cases, highly mechanized farms. These were 'dream workers' used to maintaining complex machines. They could weld, fix, adapt, and build anything. They could read, write, understand instructions, and best of all could work from sun-up to sun down, so the trick, super high-speed Honda assembly line was a more like a vacation. Many were HS grads, many more 8th grade or slightly better.

In one generation that work force was gone! They started recruiting 18 year-olds as "full time associates" who had to be trained and 'work-hardened.' which meant they had to be trained to use the simplest of tools without hurting themselves. HS Grads, many could not read, write, or do shop math. (Used to be 7-8th grade stuff.) They train the brighter ones for that, too. Showing up was an alien concept for many, even with a Honda bonus for 30 days on-time show up! Those that stick with it are the old-fashioned 'set for life' American worker.

No union ever.
Dirty Little Ohio Secret: Honda operates a 2-tier employment system, with a cadre of "associates" who are paid big time rates + fabulous benefits, plus many more part-timers who are limited in annual hours, pay, and benefits, and who cannot become "associates" no matter how good they are and even if supervisors want them! It all works and nothing leaves the plant unless it's (a) perfect, and (b), paid for!

Foreign manufacturers in general, BTW, make a bee-line for rural areas where they still hope to find trainable good workers with an already decent skill set. They avoid "urban" workers like the plague, although they may even send a bus to big up a few presentable examples for their 'stats.'