I have acquired both trade and university/academic skills but most of my career has involved the latter.

When employing my trade-learnt skills I apply myself in a quite different manner to that when I'm working in my more formalized profession, and in some ways I've found that way of working more enjoyable. Achieving or creating things with one's hands can be most satisfying.

About 40 years ago trade-based skills such as woodworking, metalwork, tooling, crafts, etc. that employed a large percentage of the workforce fell out of favor and that a career that required a college/university education was seen to be more financially rewarding. This resulted in a huge increase in the numbers who attended college/university.

Leaving aside politics, I think it's time to reappraise our educational needs, and we should stop looking down upon jobs that involve manual work/dexterity as we've done in the recent past. Moreover, we shouldn't forget that until the age of high tech and automation most work was of a manual dexterous nature and productively therefrom provided most of our needs. Not all but much of that is still relevant.

I know what I'm saying flies in the face of modern automation, computerization and smart working, etc. And I acknowledge that my view is counterintuitive given current trends in today's world.

Nevertheless, from what I've observed, many, many people don't want or have need to know the intricate workings of advanced engineering and technology, or unfathomable facts about the physical world such as why α is ≈1/137. I'd thus suggest that in many instances a university education has not necessarily been the best fit or outcome for many people.

Perhaps it's only now that many are beginning to realize the benefits of acquiring an advanced education are just not worth the time and effort not to mention its inordinately high cost. And to some extent we now may be seeing a reversal of the problem we had before the current trend of seeing a college education as a necessity—that's where many who were suited to a college education were unable to receive one through lack of finances and such.

Little doubt the picture is more complex than I've painted it. Irrespective, I'm not for a moment arguing or agreeing that we should dumb down education in any way. In fact I'd argue the opposite, which is that we need to better educate and train people in ways that most suit both their abilities and personal traits/personalities so they lead more fruitful lives.

Furthermore, I'd argue that as a society we need a better understanding of both the educational needs of individuals and those required by society for it to function properly, and that this is urgent because of major changes and developments in manufacturing, with the impact of AI and other significant changes within society. These changes are already having a profound impact on what people do and how they go about doing it. It's all the more urgent we address these issues now because change is occurring with ever-increasing rapidity.

I'll finish by saying that for the benefit of both those who are being educated and of society generally we must dispel the somewhat elitist notion that's often seen in academia and by many employers that those who work in the trades are doing low and menial work and that they are so employed because they are either incapable of more advanced academic work or are otherwise unsuited for it.

Such notions aren't helpful for many reasons but the most obvious one is that they skew the numbers of those who go into trades and professions and the impact of this skewing is negative. Also, it's important to stress that many trades require considerable training as well as the development of excellent skills together with lots of experience, especially so if they are to be performed well. Essentially, much work that's now deemed as trades-based is far from being menial.

Next, some of the smartest people I know work in the trades and I'd put them up against many who've more formal qualifications. Also, from my observation, many of the people who I've encountered who are happiest and live the most contented lives are trades people.