As AI reshapes the future of work and automation accelerates across every industry, the jobs that can’t be outsourced or automated are the ones rising most in value. Yet even as the demand for skilled trades surges, shop class, once a staple of American education, has nearly vanished. It’s a glaring gap in a system where 42.5 million Americans owe $1.8 trillion in student debt and many young people are questioning whether the traditional college to corporate path still pays off.
That’s the cultural tension at the heart of Bring Back Shop Class, a new purpose-driven campaign from power tool brand Metabo HPT in collaboration with Team One that challenges students, parents and educators to rethink what success looks like after high school. It reframes the trades as ambitious, future-proof and successful careers powered by a new partnership with the Shop Class Foundation, a nonprofit that immerses students in framing, electrical, plumbing, and finishing as they collaborate on a fully functional tiny build each school year – gaining practical skills, confidence, and a pathway to the trades. Extending that mission further, the brand is also sponsoring a mobile shop class, providing materials, mentorship and professional-grade tools for students throughout the school year.
BRAND QUOTE FROM METABO HPT:
“Metabo HPT supports and celebrates our great tradespeople and their craftsmanship,” said Bill Wyman, Chief Marketing Officer, KOKI Group. “For too long, college has been framed as the primary route to a successful career. ‘Bring Back Shop Class’ highlights the need for students to have a real-world path to build their future in the trades. Through our partnership with the Shop Class Foundation, we’re helping make that opportunity a reality for the next generation of builders.”
The campaign kicks off with “Shop Class: Undercover,” a hidden-camera short film where a young graduate and an improv actor go undercover—disguised with Hollywood-level makeup and pose as seasoned tradespeople on real job sites. Their craftsmanship and confidence win over unsuspecting homeowners, until a dramatic reveal shows they’re still teenagers. The film drives home a powerful message: when you give the next generation real training with real tools, you’re not just giving them a path to the trades, but empowering them to build a future and legacy.
CREATIVE QUOTE FROM TEAM ONE:
“Success isn’t just confined to corner offices, it’s also in the hands that build our communities,” said Jason Stinsmuehlen, Executive Creative Director Team One. “Alongside Metabo HPT, we’re reigniting the role of shop class and sparking a nationwide call to bring it back into public education. We’re challenging the next generation to see trades as they are: vital, opportunity-rich careers worth striving for, in an industry with more than 500,000 high-paying jobs waiting to be filled.”
To pull off the ruse, Metabo HPT also partnered with acclaimed director Sam Cadman, known for his sharp undercover style to capture authentic, high-stakes moments. Using classic hidden-camera techniques like Glasses Cams and an earpiece feeding live lines to the kids as they talked to real homeowners, the production became a genuine tightrope act—an experiment in keeping the secret that these “50-year-old pros” were actually teenagers in disguise.
PRODUCTION QUOTE FROM HEY WONDERFUL:
“This shoot for the professional power tool brand Metabo HPT was both a unique and rewarding challenge,” said Sam Cadman, Director, Hey Wonderful. “We brought together real homeowners with genuine construction jobs and a real teenage graduate of the Shop Class Foundation, in convincing middle-aged prosthetics to help bring awareness to shop class and help the next generation. Making that all happen at once, getting the camera coverage needed while remaining utterly invisible, all in the Nevada heat … Phew! Daniel and Devon were incredible, both as talented contractors and actors. Our Team One creatives were a clever source of funny ad-libs and one-liners. Together, we were like the A-Team of hidden-camera, stalking the streets in our window-tinted van, proving beyond doubt there’s a generation of young talent more than ready to step up to the plate.”
The 3-minute short film, “Shop Class: Undercover,” debuts on Monday, October 27 and will run on Amazon OLV, YouTube and Meta.
