I'm hoping to encourage my children to take whatever path makes sense for them and not force them to be anything that doesn't work for them.
I think you'll be a good parent if this is your attitude. I hate to say it though, but in the words of the Boss:
Foreman says these jobs are going boys and they aint coming back; to your hometown
While there is a demand - and I believe always will be - for tradespeople and skilled professionals (i.e. Electricians and Mechanics) the blue collar labour that we've known from the 20th century is dead and gone. It's good to understand this - High School and continued education matter, because nobody is getting a good union job at the factory any more.