Mandatory shop class? Lee proposes vocational training for all students

After Republican Bill Lee’s previous ad touting “20-year solutions” for education and health care became the target of Democratic rival Karl Dean, the Franklin businessman has released a new spot offering some more specifics: He appears to want to require vocational training for all students in Tennessee.

“Every student should have at least some vocational training. It might mean welding. It might mean coding. It might mean ag,” Lee says in the ad. “But we’ve got to start our kids out early. High school, middle school.”

Here’s a full transcript of the ad:

Our schools need to look a whole lot different. Even though our company was named a best place to work, we still have a hard time filling jobs in the trades. Every student should have at least some vocational training. It might mean welding. It might mean coding. It might mean Ag. But we’ve got to start our kids out early. High school, middle school. When I’m governor, they’re not just going to be different, they’re going to be better.