Technical education teachers at Wisconsin high schools are transforming shop class—and encouraging more students to consider careers in the trades.
Right now, Americans are questioning the value of higher education, especially with the rising cost of education and burden of student debt. According to a 2024 survey from the Pew Research Center, only 22 percent of U.S. adults say the cost of a four-year college degree today is worth it, even if someone has to take out loans.
At the same time, jobs in the trades are among Wisconsin’s “hottest jobs”—jobs with above-average salaries with the highest projected growth—according to the state Department of Workforce Development. And in recent years, Wisconsin high schools have seen a steady increase in enrollment in hands-on technical education courses, according to Perkins V data. That comes after years of declining enrollment nationwide in the 1990s and 2000s.
Read more at Wisconsin Public Radio.
