https://www.wsj.com/us-news/education/high-school-shop-class-revival-24d7a525 Skip to Main Content Explore Our Brands * WSJ * ----------------------------------------------------------------- * Barron's * ----------------------------------------------------------------- * MarketWatch * ----------------------------------------------------------------- * IBD * ----------------------------------------------------------------- * * ----------------------------------------------------------------- Buy Side from WSJ WSJ Logo The Schools Reviving Shop Class Offer a Hedge Against the AI Future Share Resize --------------------------------------------------------------------- Listen (2 min) The Wall Street Journal SectionsMy Account * + Home + Latest + World + Business + U.S. + Politics + Economy + Tech + Markets & Finance + Opinion + Arts + Lifestyle + Real Estate + Personal Finance + Taxes + Health + Style + Sports + Print Edition + Video + Audio + Latest Headlines * More + Buy Side from WSJ + The Journal Collection + WSJ Shop + WSJ Wine * Latest * World + Main + Africa + Americas + Asia + China + Europe + Middle East + India + Oceania + Russia + U.K. + Science + Anthropology + Biology + Environment + Physics + Space & Astronomy + World Video + Obituaries * Business + Main + Airlines + Autos + C-Suite + Deals + Earnings + Energy & Oil + Entrepreneurship + Telecom + Retail + Hospitality + Logistics + Media + CFO Journal + CIO Journal + CMO Today + Logistics Report + Risk & Compliance + WSJ Pro Bankruptcy + WSJ Pro Central Banking + WSJ Pro Cybersecurity + WSJ Pro Private Equity + WSJ Pro Sustainable Business + WSJ Pro Venture Capital + Heard on the Street + Journal Reports + Business Video + Business Podcast * U.S. + Main + Climate & Environment + Education + Law + College Rankings 2025 + U.S. Video + What's News Podcast * Politics + Main + Elections + National Security + Policy + Politics Video * Economy + Main + Central Banking + Consumers + Housing + Jobs + Trade + Global + WSJ Pro Bankruptcy + WSJ Pro Central Banking + WSJ Pro Private Equity + WSJ Pro Venture Capital + Capital Account + Economic Forecasting Survey + Economy Video * Tech + Main + AI + Biotech + Cybersecurity + Personal Technology + Keywords by Christopher Mims + Personal Tech by Joanna Stern + Family & Tech by Julie Jargon + Personal Tech by Nicole Nguyen + CIO Journal + The Future of Everything + Tech Video + Tech Podcast * Markets & Finance + Main + Banking + Commodities & Futures + Currencies + Investing + Regulation + Stocks + Heard on the Street + Capital Account by Greg Ip + The Intelligent Investor by Jason Zweig + Tax Report by Laura Saunders + Streetwise by James Mackintosh + CFO Journal + Markets Video + Your Money Briefing Podcast + Market Data Home + Companies + U.S. Stocks + Commodities + Bonds & Rates + Currencies Market Data + Mutual Funds & ETFs * Opinion + Main + Gerard Baker + Sadanand Dhume + Allysia Finley + James Freeman + William A. 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Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/us-news/education/ high-school-shop-class-revival-24d7a525 Andres Mendoza Alcala, a Middleton High School senior and aspiring carpenter in Wisconsin. The Schools Reviving Shop Class Offer a Hedge Against the AI Future Hands-on skills are staging a comeback at leading-edge districts, driven by high college costs and demand for more career choices Share Resize --------------------------------------------------------------------- Listen (2 min) Andres Mendoza Alcala, a Middleton High School senior and aspiring carpenter in Wisconsin. By Te-Ping Chen | Photographs by Caleb Alvarado for WSJ In America's most surprising cutting-edge classes, students pursue hands-on work with wood, metals and machinery, getting a jump on lucrative old-school careers. School districts around the U.S. are spending tens of millions of dollars to expand and revamp high-school shop classes for the 21st century. They are betting on the future of manual skills overlooked in the digital age, offering vocational-education classes that school officials say give students a broader view of career prospects with or without college. Copyright (c)2025 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. 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