Back in the day, schools taught classes that focused on skills.
Students took cooking class so they could learn nutrition and prepare proper meals. Shop class, sewing and “home economics” were commonplace on high school course lists.
That was half a century ago, when the end goal of school was to teach young men and women how to manage a home, care for a family and live independently.
Today’s standard is that high school graduates will come out of school “college and career ready.” Rather than simply teaching general life skills, more teachers are working to set students up for jobs.
Bradley Tech is a Milwaukee public high school with a history of teaching the trades. Counselor Meghan Obligato says nowadays, the school approaches skills training as a means to helping students find their career path.
"For many, many years we've been pushing a college-going culture," Obligato explains. "But I think that over the last several years we know that in Milwaukee especially, this is where the jobs are. So I've seen an increase in students that want to participate because the money's going to be really good."
But, she adds, the mission of teaching the trades is first and foremost to allow students to learn more about themselves.
"Just because they experience something in high school, that doesn't necessarily mean that will be the job they choose forever," Obligato says. "Our job is to foster a place where students can discover and learn and explore their interests. We have a responsibility to provide them with opportunities where they can try things out."
