None of my comments are aimed at you lander66, they are just musings for everyone to think about.
My question is: Can you get a meaningful, well-paid job, where you gain the skills that the GAPAN survey highlights, without a university education, and before you're middle-aged?
I also don't think the target of 50% of school leavers going to university has been dropped. A degree is fast becoming the required level of education.