At Middleton High School in Wisconsin, the store class is back-thriving.
For thirty years, Justin Zander has shaped wood and thought.
“My goal is to teach them comfort and skills so that they are satisfied with some skills that will be transferred from many different places trade,” Zander told CBS News.
The demand for businessmen has driven the revival. There are some people with the highest income Blue collar job Just like electricians and plumbers now earn six-figure wages, these positions are now considered gold collars, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
"It used to be the kids interested in it. Now, kids are interested in it because it could lead to a good salary in the future," Zander said.
Middleton High School builds a $90 million campus in 2022, trade In the spotlight. According to nonprofits supporting U.S. vocational and technical education, which is part of a larger trend in 27 states, spending on technical education increased by an average of $182 million from 2012 to 2022.
Aidan Down is one of more than 75% of Middleton’s students taking technical education courses.
“I think it’s a very simple option to work in trade, especially if you have some experience in these courses,” Aidan said.
Interest in trade schools has almost doubled since 2017, according to market research firms. Meanwhile, the National Center for Education Statistics found that college enrollment has dropped slightly since the Covid-19-19-19 pandemic.
“I think it’s really important, even when it comes to showing kids that college isn’t the only option,” said Thalia Madden, of the senior building construction.
At Middleton, students can adopt woodworking, welding and robotics. Students are learning to program industrial robots used in factories across the country.
Carlo Zwettler got his hands dirty in the same classroom in Middleton. He graduated from Zuern Building Products, thus enabling him to learn the skills directly.
"Shop courses are a lot of help," Zwettler said.
Now, he works in the deal as a yard manager, he says he often hears the same debate: whether to go directly into the workforce or take on university debt.
"Oh yes, we always give each other a bunch of nonsense," he said with a smile. “Like, you go to a four-year university and you’re going to lose all that money.”
For Zander, his ROI was to introduce students to a way of profit he liked.
"I'm not against smiling when I'm leaving the room," Zander said.
He added: "Nothing else."