Some times the conventional wisdom is part of the problem. Take this example (from today's Wall Street Journal - Skilled Trades Seek Workers):
With the shortage of welders, pipe fitters and other high-demand workers likely to get worse as more of them reach retirement age, unions, construction contractors and other businesses are trying to figure out how to attract more young people to those fields.
Their challenge: overcoming the perception that blue-collar trades offer less status, money and chance for advancement than white-collar jobs, and that college is the best investment for everyone.
With the constant drumbeat of "higher education," we forget that "education" and "skills" are not the same thing. We also forget that skilled trades are just as much a part of the I-Cubed Economy as the so-called creative workers.
But there is some good news - at least locally. The District of Columbia just opened its new Phelps Architecture, Construction and Engineering High School, which offers both college-bound and skilled trade related courses in those fields. [And no, it is not named after the Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps]. As such, it may provide a good model for how to blend the two.
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