what type of education do the students need most now and not far from now? what would it accomplish for america? who will help them?

To answer the headline question (not the question of trade vs liberal arts presumably), the most important education that can be given and apparently is not would be educating people on logical fallacies. Sounds esoteric but it is probably the most important life skill anyone can have. If you understand how logic and rhetoric work, you can know when you are being manipulated, how to evaluate events and opportunities, how to prioritize. Learning a trade is great and I'm all for it (I did that, though it was computer work, not infrastructure work) but an education system and society that emphasizes thought, consideration and awe is the best and only hope for the future. (And to answer your political question, that would have to be any recent Democratic candidate -- they sometimes do goofy things, but they are not anti-education like the republicans or worse, anti-reason altogether like Trump).

It sounds good but the reason why jobs are going elsewhere is the cost not the lack of trained people.

Just came across some of yours while on another site*****//an old hippie, also. Answer: History, Salvation, Us-teaching them what we learned in Social Studies and History Class and Home Economics, Shop-metal and wood, music even if it was just a tambourine, art with crayons and paper, cursive writing, the world of reading and thinking and traveling thru books and encouraging imagination thru writing and poetry and crafts, teachers who encouraged us to learn and keep on learning, parents who gave us a nickel each week for Pete the Pig for world hunger and what we learned from our parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and neighbors ,not just morals and manners; but, things only seen at specialty shops and craft shows now. Touring the cotton mill to see how cotton was made into cloth. Respect for those in uniform. Starting young, helping a parent, an uncle or aunt or neighbor with something, anything thereby learning a skill or a trade. A school principal with enough sensitivity and freedom to announce to us over the loud speaker that OUR President had been assassinated and another with enough strength of character to call us all into the auditorium one day and tell us that next year we would integrate with other schools and that there would be NO trouble and there wasn't. A President who made us feel safe and took care of our soldiers in times of war and peace with honor and dignity and respected and cared for other countries. How to say The Pledge of Allegiance to our flag every day and have prayer and sing the National Anthem.....and on and on and on. Hope you find this, my answer, just mine. Made me think. Peace. Southern Girl.

Consider that working on the machines that weave the fiber is a job lost and the chick looking guy that does payroll is a job lost. great point.

DESTROY THE ROBOTS WHO DESTROY PEOPLE JOBS?SIMPLE;USE THE ROBOTS FOR THE HELP OF PEOPLE,NOT FOR THE INCOMES OF SOME RICH PEOPLE.