A story from 50 years ago — one I am certain was told 40 years before that — still holds true today. The demands of straightforward physical work have always carried a cost. Too often, men and women in their late 30s are forced to stop working because of the toll on their bodies. Yet despite that reality, the value of learning a trade cannot be overstated.

I was raised with a simple belief: if you had a toolbox and knew how to use the tools within it, you had a trade. And that trade could provide a pathway for you and your family into the middle class. It meant the ability to make a mortgage payment, raise a family, and even allow a parent the choice to stay home. For generations, trades created stability, dignity, and opportunity.

Fortunately, those opportunities still exist today, perhaps in more ways than ever before. But with the rapid advent of artificial intelligence, we are seeing entire pathways of employment shift or disappear. That makes the trades more important — not less. Across the board, we must reinvigorate vocational learning and career training.

It starts in junior high. We need to bring back metal shop, woodshop, automotive, robotics, and the basics of engineering with a hands-on, technical approach. In high school, these must continue as full career pathways. But beyond that, government must do its part: we must create liability reform that allows students to safely participate in real-world training, not just watch from afar.

Safety will always be the top priority, but we must strike a balance. Students deserve the chance to gain hands-on experience. Employers or training institutions that fail to protect students must face strict consequences, up to and including criminal penalties for intentional violations. But at the same time, we should reward the many outstanding companies eager to mentor and train young people.

America’s strength has always been built on the skill of its workforce. If we are serious about preparing the next generation for success — and maintaining our competitiveness in a changing world — we must return to the fundamentals: teaching trades, fostering technical skill, and providing young people with real opportunities to learn by doing.

The trades are not just jobs. They are careers. They are futures. And they are the backbone of the middle class. It’s time we make them central again.