Students at River Bend Career and Technical Center in Bradford, Vermont, are doing more than hands-on learning. They’re preparing for careers that are facing an increase in labor shortages.

Most students at River Bend take part in one of 12 half-day programs, which range from culinary arts to diversified agriculture to criminal justice. The Automotive Technology program teaches students to do bodywork for cars, including painting and pounding dents out. It’s “pretty much everything I do for fun,” said Cooper Hebb, an 11th grader at Thetford Academy.