There are so many cases of people who went through school, got their degrees, couldn't get a job, tried certificate programs, still couldn't get a job. Or got a low paying job, couldn't get promoted or get a raise, even by getting an additional credential. The problem is this: education takes time and money, and people aren't recovering that cost. The education system and industry don't mesh. They are not compatible. They are discontinuous. And people are being left in the lurch by the millions.

Solution:

Make all programs apprenticeships. All of them, from autoshop repairman to nuclear physicist. Employers post job openings at the beginning of the year, including the pay scale, location, other terms of employment, and high school graduates with the highest grades at the end of the year get first choice. People get those jobs right out of high school, they are trained on the job, get a regular paycheque, and study on their days off. Their pay is graduated according to how far they are toward completing their 'degree'. It might take 4 years to get a diploma, 8 years to get a degree, studying part-time like this. But people do real work and nobody sacrifices years of wages for a job that may or may not exist after graduation.

If people want to change careers, they go back to high school, sign up for the exams, and take them again. Experience doesn't count. Seniority doesn't count. It's competitive, it's merit-based. People who want the job, who deserve the job, get the job.