Career path

Quoted text begins.Previously a stone, brick, and block mason in youth
spare time I work as a business consultant
and as a Law and Economics Professor
End of quote.

Dear Craig,

I was very interested to read about your journey from manual worker
to academic while keeping your hand skills alive.

In Queensland, and I'm sure in most parts of the Western world,
it's getting harder to find young people to enter trades,
replacing retiring workers or those (like you and me)
who move on into teaching, consulting or management.

There is a campaign just started to press home the advantages of an
apprenticeship over uni study for school leavers. TAFE fees are heavily
subsidised while uni fees are going through the roof.

The Qld minister for Employment & Training (an old metals tradie)
opened the campaign with a poster showing how the TAFE path with
part-time study and full-time work could be more lucrative,
with the example of a construction manager position reached after 11 years
compared through uni or TAFE. The poster launch is linked here:
http://www.ctq.com.au/index.cfm?ContentParentTypeID=5

My question is, after all that, is there a similar career path choice
emphasised in the US, at least where you are?

Regards,
Simon