It is absurd to delegate a lower status education to people who will ultimately be working in these 'hands on' sectors.
See Mike Rowe's website and show for more evidence of this whole frame of mind.
Education today should be classical for everyone, as it was in the nineteenth century up to the high school level. It should also offer exposure to manufacturing and practial things. Gosh, that is kind of what it already is.
The problem is that discipline is lax to nonexistent, and assignments are generally so soft that the students have time and inclination to get into trouble and become worthless.
Fortunately students are malleable and the education system can be fixed rather quickly, and lost progress can be made up.
Solution: statewide vouchers for all public and private schools, or homeschooling arrangements. Let all compete for students to stay alive as viable schools.
I know lots of booksmart people who would be in much better shape had they had some practical, hands on shop, drafting, pottery, metalsmithing, or other type of work.
Don't ask me about the underlying neurophysiology of it but I know that the brain develops along a number of parallel lines and the more different things young students do, the better the growth and ultimate ability of the brain and person are.