Artificial intelligence is poised to reshape education and the job market in profound ways, but few could have predicted it would breathe new life into high school shop classes. Across the U.S., schools are reviving these hands-on programs, blending traditional trades like woodworking and welding with cutting-edge training on automated machinery. The goal? To equip students for a world where AI might dominate white-collar roles, leaving manual skills in high demand.
Take Middleton High School in Wisconsin, which sank $90 million into a state-of-the-art manufacturing lab. Featuring a glass-walled “fishbowl” where students operate computer-guided robotic arms, the facility has sparked a surge in interest. Quincy Millerjohn, a former English teacher now teaching welding, showcases union pay rates—$41 to $52 an hour for ironworkers and boilermakers—to his students. It’s no surprise that about 25% of Middleton’s 2,300 students have enrolled in construction, manufacturing, or woodworking courses in recent years. That’s a striking shift, especially considering shop classes were largely phased out in the 1990s and 2000s as schools pushed college prep over vocational training.
The Wall Street Journal reports that this trend isn’t isolated. From Maryland to California, districts are rolling out revamped shop curricula to meet a growing need for skilled labor. In Frederick County, Maryland, schools have introduced “building-trades academies” focused on carpentry and electrical work, while Los Angeles trade schools churn out welders for aerospace giants like SpaceX. The numbers back this up: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a shortfall of 390,000 welders by 2026, with construction facing similar gaps—549,000 jobs needing skilled workers this year alone.
AI’s rapid rise is a key driver. Tech leaders have long warned that algorithms could soon outperform humans in fields like coding, accounting, and even creative work—sectors once seen as safe bets for college grads. A 2023 Goldman Sachs report estimates 25% of U.S. jobs are at risk of automation, with white-collar roles especially vulnerable. Meanwhile, trades requiring physical dexterity and problem-solving—like fixing a car or framing a house—remain stubbornly out of AI’s reach. “You can’t outsource a plumber to China,” one educator quipped.
This shift has flipped the script on education priorities. For decades, schools funneled students toward degrees, sidelining shop class as a relic of a bygone era. Now, as AI threatens to hollow out cubicle jobs, manual skills are regaining value. At Middleton, students wield high-tech tools alongside hammers, learning to program CNC machines that churn out precision parts. It’s a hybrid approach—old-school craftsmanship meets modern automation—preparing them for a labor market where adaptability is king.
Parents and students are buying in. Millerjohn notes kids once destined for four-year colleges are now eyeing lucrative trade careers, drawn by solid wages and job security. Nationally, unionized trade workers averaged $71,000 annually in 2023, per the AFL-CIO, often outpacing early-career salaries for degree holders saddled with debt. As AI reshapes the future, shop class is no longer a Plan B—it’s a blueprint for thriving in a world machines can’t fully conquer.