All good thoughts.  

We could sure use that practical application (vocational) training in our colleges.  I get these largely academic engineering applicants that have no clue how to apply what they've learned in college.  It typically takes a couple of years to train them into an engineer who can contribute.  I've learned to largely hire engineers who were in the trades before they went through school or have some hands on experience with fixing/repairing machinery (either grew up on a farm or were motorheads).