Engineering involves taking existing things apart and utilizing them for other things. Or it can be building things up from scratch. It is the Do-It-Yourself sort of operations that can make things or repair things at a lower cost than to actually buy the item. When you live through an emergency type of situation, you often cannot go out and buy what you need. And if you can, price gouging can be exorbitant. What would normally be priced reasonably, the emergency makes the prices soar.
Engineering classes are about making something from recycle materials and turning it into something that will make life a bit easier for the homesteader. It is building solar ovens, making pit barbeque smokers, making a chicken coop, building a greenhouse, building a water filter system, etc. These classes are easy to do and fun for the whole family. It will make you realize that before you toss your junk to the curb for curbside pickup, that perhaps you can salvage some of the parts that are operational for future projects (like coaster wheels on a chair, or Fresnel lenses from an old TV).
In Engineering, you will need tools. For woodworking, here is a video on basic tools you will need.