Everybody knows that the job market is a rough place these days. Whether you’re young and fresh out of school, hitting close to retirement, or are not even close to leaving the workplace, the changing workplace can be difficult. This is especially true for the world of manufacturing, which has been hit particularly hard over the past few decades, with many factories across developed nations around the world shutting their doors for good.

Technical education in high school is a proven precursor to later academic success. Almost 80% of high school students who concentrated on career and technical studies pursued some type of postsecondary education within two years of finishing high school. But long gone are the days of widespread shop class, or even "vocational training"; however, in a limited number of schools, it’s making a high-tech comeback.