But the purpose of schools has always been to "teach the academic side." The whole system until recently has been that schools give you the foundational knowledge, and you learn the skills at work -- in olden days, corporations would actually train you on the job.
But then:
1) Employers decided that it's better to lay off people you don't need anymore, which meant that
2) Employees realized it's more lucrative to jump from employer to employer than maintain loyalty for a company, which meant that
3) Employers realized it's not productive to spend 6 months training a junior who's going to leave in 8.
Trade schools and community colleges will focus more on skills than theory, but there's an image problem among well off children... and the social environment is far different (boring by most 19yo standards).
But then:
1) Employers decided that it's better to lay off people you don't need anymore, which meant that
2) Employees realized it's more lucrative to jump from employer to employer than maintain loyalty for a company, which meant that
3) Employers realized it's not productive to spend 6 months training a junior who's going to leave in 8.