There is a difference between academic learning and vocational training. The UK used to have higher education institutions called Polytechnics, I went to one. T

There is a difference between academic learning and vocational training. The UK used to have higher education institutions called Polytechnics, I went to one. These taught degree courses qualifying you for working life. Architects, chemists, computer scientists... I did a 4 year degree, the third year was spent working for an employer. At the end of the final year much of what I'd been taught formally was outdated or irrelevant to the workplace. Many of the useful skills came from practical projects and that third year. Polys got phased out and renamed Universities, a valuable distinction was lost and no one was fooled.