Should High Schools Bring Back The Trade Programs?/

ruskent

I know my high school dropped many of the trade programs. They used to have engines classes, autoshop, welding, etc. Now i think they are just down to wood shop.

Whats funny is i never took wood shop in High school. During High school i worked with a framer on the weekends and summers. Last thing i wanted to do was work with wood during the school day!

I think alot of high schools are dropping the trade classes. I belive this is one of the big down falls of our country. And part of the reason we are stuck with foreign workers for skilled trades workers.


What do you guys think?

taper71

They have trade courses here in Alberta. Its funny if your kids get good grades they will prepare them for colledge or university. If your kids get bad grades they teach them how to be laborers. Guess where 90% of the kids are.

AutumnWood Inc.

I think it is a great tool to train for the future
One of my big ideas for a business venture is a trade school a kind of college of the trades

There so many hacks out there, and I wish i did not have to hack my way through to get what I know now

In high school we had a vocational school for auto repair, welding,building trades, etc. I think a Vocational college for trades would help workmanship quality. Here in michigan everthing is very slow and the state is raising the high school graduation requirements because of the auto industry slump They are pushing for a more educated work force for the tech jobs.

My vote would be for every county in the state to set up one trade school college, to provide a better quality building trades work force

I had a foreman from scotland who talked about learning carpenter skills in school at 10 or 12 years old in scotland . He came from scotland at 18 years old and worked in the detroit carpenters union. He never missed a day of work until he retired and had the most money in the detroit local carpenter union pension fund . He learned from a young age to work hard and be skilled at what you do
I think alot of young kids here in America think life is all about video games
Maybe if we learned to work hard when we are young we would not be losing all are construction jobs to illegals or foreigners

Bayn

747

When i was in school you had to get on the bus and go to the career center for that. I had a friend who went there for construction. They actually built a whole house and sold it. It was a area career center. So you would be there with other students from other schools in the area. Actually my oldest sister went for beautician. She ended up getting her state license but never worked as one. She decided to go into clothing. She is manager of clothing store. But she still cuts my hair. They offered all kinds of stuff out there. Drafting classes,Body shop,electronics,computers. That was a long time ago.

hatchet

We've seen it here too. I'm actually working with the local high school this year to help with building and cad classes. We're also building a couple playhouses to raffle off and the proceeds will go to update some of the schools equipment (woodworking and computers).
We've got another project that will bring the IA program and the business program together to complete it.

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Flikka

Our local HS that my kids go to has several different shop classes. We're one of the lucky ones though as there are over 2200 students attending the school to support the programs. What I would like to see is the 'stigma' removed as to what kind of kids attended those classes. There is too much pressure put on kids to attend university, I'm not saying university is a bad thing, but I feel a large percentage of kids are going to university soley on the pressure received to be there. I'd like to see some of the shop classes be mandatory....if nothing else we'd all know how to change the oil in our car and nail up some trim.....just like most of our dad's did.

Cheers
Mary

stacker

yes.in my part of the world there is a shortage of plumbers,masons,carpenters.
the high schools need to pick it up since most vo tech schools are turing their sights on high tech jobs.

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bujaly

Most schools have dropped trade for computer training classes and such. This industry is "In Demand", so they say.
I understand that computers are an integral part of this world now, but it's not like were trading shelter for computers.
I know that they pretty much got rid of all voe-tech classes right before I got into HS and A LOT of comp classes were available.
Don't be surprised in 10-15 years when electrical, plumbing and hvac companies are charging $180 an hour.

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Chazbe

My son does what 747 did. He goes to his main high school for half a day and then gets on a bus and commutes 45 min to the vo-tech school, which is now called the career and technology center. They offer all the trades, plumbing, masonry,painting, carpentry, machine trades, power line, and electric which my son will be entering his 3 rd year.
since I can't post a link its cwctc.org
Chuck

KillerToiletSpider

Our local high school still has shop classes, Auto/body, metal shop. welding, woodworking, basic electric, and they offer a course called general shop, which gives students a little bit of all of the above. They offer shop classes as part of their night school program also, I occasionally teach welding at their night school.

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oldgoat

I'm not sure but I think most of the HS have dropped the vo tech classes. Everybody wants, and to an extent, needs computer classes. However I kind of think that the mind set of being a blue collar worker is beneath them and everybody should want to go to college and become some desk jockey has taken over. Never mind that a good tradesman can still earn darn good money and have a rewarding job. I also wonder if liability issues aren't part of it.

dirt diggler

with the millions of illegal immigrants already taking control of the trades???

i wouldn't send my son to trade school.



they need "basic life skills school" though -

Required Courses:

Why You Shouldn't Be Late on Your Property Taxes - 3 credits
How to Change the Oil in Your Car - 2 credits
Avoiding Food Poisoning 101 - 3 credits
How to Balance Your Checkbook - 4 credits
Avoiding Credit Card Debt - 4 credits
Mortgages 202 - 3 credits
Press "One" For English - 3 credits

Electives:

Beginners Spanish - 2 credits
PE - 1 credit

Summer Reading Program - 5 credits - Optional Participation

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crb555

I participate in in a local program to try to get local contractors and schools together to develop improve the current construction program. In fact, I built a message board for the program.

http://www.greeneandassociatesinc.com/phpbb/

Not that the teachers use it.

As contractors, we are trying very hard to help.. offering to speak to the students, old sets of blueprints, surplus construction materials ,etc.... I even offered to provide a rigid 300 threading machine. It's difficult to work with the instructors though, they have the "state employee" mentality. I couldn't give away anything last year... we offered to go speak on HVAC and Plumbing fundamentals..offered to explain how a boiler / cooling tower / heat exchanger / water source heat pump system works (we were doing one of those at the time)... Couldn't get the teachers to take us up on it... except for a few exceptions...I couldn't even give away the threading machine.

I'll continue to try this year, but if things don't get somewhat better I'm done. I value my time too much to donate it frivolously.

Crb

Magnettica

Why call them foreigners when they're really ILLEGAL ALIENS!?

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oldgoat

Well there is a difference between the two. I don't have much of a problem with foreigners coming here by the rules. If they can fill and job requirement that they can't fill normally then why not? I know our school system is having to go to other countries to get math and science teachers because they can't hire them here.
Illegals though are entirely different. As far as I'm concerned they aren't owed anything other than a trip to the border. However until they take away the job market and benefits I don't think you are going to stop them. A fence isn't really going to do much more than slow them down, but making fines large and quick to employers that routinely look the other way on hiring illegals and taking away social benefits and the legal citizen for their children will.

carolinaprowash

I think that something needs to be offered........downside to that is that the number of the IA's in schools - they'll be the ones taking the classes because of the aforementioned stigma of taking trade classes.

Is there ANYTHING anymore that doesn't have a damn downside to it?

Celeste

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