Do they still have these in school anymore?

In 7th and 8th grade middle school we had wood shop and metal shop. We did everything... and used tools from lathes to cutting torches. Learned a ton of stuff that a kid would likely never learn otherwise. In high school we had auto shop. Tore down and put back together a car engine for the first time when I was 14. It was very empowering and built a lot of confidence. These things taught kids MUCH more than just working with your hands.

I still have my first wood shop project. Summer school at the middle school after finishing 6th grade. Not much to it but I still remember each step... cutting, gluing, lathe, drilling, sanding, finishing...