The US does have numerous vocational schools and training programs, and they result in placement in positions which do pay reasonably livable wages. They are pr

The US does have numerous vocational schools and training programs, and they result in placement in positions which do pay reasonably livable wages. They are pretty effective, the problem here is a class issue. Getting into the middle class in the US still means you are at the mercy of a variety of problems. Higher education is still the ticket to an upper middle class life, partly due to ingrained structures like larger cities lacking affordable housing, a tax system that favors capital classes, and high healthcare costs for the poor and middle classes. Containing/reducing medical costs, reducing housing costs and a fairer tax system might be the real answer here. The core issue is that, for example, the poor and middle classes can easily be bankrupted by a medical bill, whereas white collar software engineers are likely to have very good and cheap health insurance that covers much more.