Home Ec by any name is good. Learning to make anything whether it's in shop or home ec helps build confidence and self esteem. It also gives you the skills to repair something yourself instead of having to call someone.
What I think is at least as important is teaching the students some basic finances like how to balance a budget, how to save or invest at least part of their earnings and how to learn not to fall for all the different sales gimmicks out there.
I really wish I had more education in those areas when I was in school. I think we touched on balancing budgets briefly in social studies but that was it. The only way we can have a healthy economy is if people are wise with their money. I also hate the term "consumer". I'm not a consumer, I'm a person and I do far more than just buy things.
Also here's something I never learned until it was too late. Get a life insurance plan that's not tied to your work. When you are diagnosed with a life threatening illness one of the first things to go is often your job. If all your insurance is thru work, it's gone.
Rodney