Back in the '50s there was a serious shortage of teachers, as the boomers started coming along. The Feds had a program to subsidize the education of elementary and secondary school teachers. Seemed to work. (I had a great teacher who was a teacher only because it was the only way he could get through college.)

The military subsidized the education of many people they would like to become officers, doctors, etc. Seems to work.

Smaller communities sometimes subsidize the education of physicians in return for their promise to practice in the community. Seems to work.

By the way, if free leads to crap, then people should pay to work. If they aren't willing to pay to do the job, how can we be sure they are motivated to do a reasonable job?

I'm sure Conservatives would like to figure out a way to do that. Except for CEOs, who do a better job the more they are paid.