There are many reasons for this. One big reason is the abandonment of trades education in the public schools. Not only do they not teach it, it is not seen as a respectable career path.
To be fair, they do have a vocational school option for 11th and 12th graders--at least they did when I went to school in the district. I hope it gets promoted because not every person it cut out to go to college.
It’s seen as more respectable to go to college and then law school and to become a community organizer than to work as a machinist in a factory.
You are so right. For the last couple of decades the only thing it seems some school districts want to encourage is College. There are a lot of bright young people who are mechanically inclined and academically declined. Our Schools are sending far too many people to Colleges and university who are bright but not college material and they end up dropping out or in a dead end cubicle job, restless, with no meaningful future. A good tradesman with ambition and hard work can make 6 figures a year in some markets. The state I live in cut back on trades education and it ended up being a deciding factor in some new industry choosing not to move here.