Metabo HPT Launches Initiative to Prepare Students for Trades Careers
Power tool manufacturer Metabo HPT is taking cues from its recent “Bring Back Shop Class” Survey, which revealed heightened demand for trades-based programs in schools.
As a result, the company is partnering with Henderson, Nev.-based nonprofit organization Shop Class Foundation on a new campaign, “Bring Back Shop Class,” aimed to prepare young people for trades careers by restoring shop class as a core part of public education.
As part of the campaign, Metabo HPT will provide the materials and tools needed for participating students as they work with the Shop Class Foundation to complete a tiny home throughout the duration of the school year.
The “Bring Back Shop Class” Survey – conducted online in the U.S. by Ipsos on behalf of Metabo HPT with a nationally representative sample of 1,016 adults – underscores the need for skills-based education and career pathways in the trades.
- Hands-on learning needed in schools: 97% of respondents say it is important for high schools to bring back shop class or similar programs, with half (50%) saying it is extremely important, nearly one-third (31%) saying it is very important and 16% saying it is somewhat important.
- Majority would encourage skilled trades: If advising a high school student today, most (78%) would encourage a skilled trade career.
- Challenges remain for students: 62% cite pressure to attend a four-year college, 60% note social stigma, and 58% point to lack of exposure in high school as potential reasons young people avoid trades.
- Trades seen as AI-resistant: Nearly two-thirds (61%) believe careers such as electricians, plumbers, and carpenters are more secure from automation and AI disruption over the next decade than white-collar office careers (16%).