To update this a little, what seems to be a current concern is how to create a university-level course from a vocational basis. What do you add? Is it, as you suggest, the “liberal arts” dimension, or the scientific and technical background that should be common to arts students? Do you include all the practical skills that are normally assessed on the job in vocational training? Are people looking for more, or different?

Answer these questions in a convincing way, and that will open up a great educational potential.

But more people seem to want to finish school with skills (using college as a technical school but that they can see as superior to technical schools). And I think the market for these types of customer/students probably exceeds that wanting to be educated in a broad, and not necessarily directly applicable sense.

I also believe that even with a liberal arts education it makes sense to make it relevant. To participate in modern society without an understanding of science and technology is very limiting.