In Europe, they really value the craftsman and there is no shame in pursuing an apprenticeship straight out of high school and then pursuing higher education. In Canada, it's seen as a third or fourth route if you couldn't get into college or university. Philosophically, that has to change if we want to see improvements.
We do a great job at graduating people from college and university. We generate a lot of highly qualified people, but a credential is one thing and having skills to apply is different, so we really need to move towards fostering highly qualified skilled people to put the theory and the skill to use, to make things better.