That's true, but what's wrong with that? Not everyone is *interested* in the kind of intensive preparation needed to get into a good engineering school and do well there. I would rather see fewer engineers (with higher salaries) than people go into it just because someone thinks they "should."
Similarly, it does not help to fill up AP science & math classes with the disinterested, just because someone else thinks they "should" take these classes.
What our educational system *should* do is identify those students who are suited to and are interested in engineering, and make sure they get the proper preparation.
Similarly, those students who are more vocationally oriented (i.e. precision machine tool operator; HVAC tech, etc.) should be identified and supported in *their* career path. Thinking that everyone should take an engineering-prep curriculum in high school isn't realistic or helpful to those not interested.