Why should kids be funneled into the trades in high school? The purpose of those high school programs was to provide an alternate path for the kids who somebody classified as not college material. There are plenty of adults who have had successful careers (writers, doctors, scientists, etc) who were told in high school that they’d never amount to much. Their teachers/GCs were wrong.
Most comments I see on this subject say the trades are great in one breath and college isn’t for everyone in the next. The speakers always seem to be the parents of college students. If the trades are so great and there’s a projected shortage for the next generation, why aren’t they signing their kids up for Welding 101? I don’t disagree that the trades can be very rewarding, but they should be reserved for adults who want to do them not shunted off on kids who aren’t given any other choice.