This isn't the only possible way to do things; in Germany's extensive vocational education system, employers are obliged by law to set aside a certain ratio of apprenticeships, so students will have someplace to go after they graduate.
The talented who want a vocational path to higher skills are practically shut out the system.
"These measures have broken down the segregation between children set on academic paths and those on a vocational path.
However, the vocational path is not a panacea and there are a few significant issues that need to be addressed.
First, we need to make the distinction between soft vocational subjects and rigorous, high-quality courses that both equip young people with the skills employers demand and offer a direct vocational path to senior management.
But the industry must find a way to target school leavers, most of whom are currently ignoring plumbing as a vocational path.
Instead, the vocational path, which includes apprenticeships and on-the-job training, can open doors to an endless array of careers.
But as Angela Hartnett points out, taking chefs out of their kitchens and onto the telly has given profile to an industry previously sneered at as an inferior vocational path.
The Netherlands, however, has an extensive vocational education (VE) system, covering both the secondary and tertiary education levels.
In an education setting, this implies that students with comparative advantages in abstract knowledge should follow an academic path and the others should follow a vocational path.
There are other advantages of a well-functioning vocational system: students with practical abilities are better off following a vocational degree (Meer (2007)); countries with an extensive vocational training system tend to have better transitions between education, employment and apprenticeship than countries without these systems (Brzinsky-Fay (2007)).
