I have not, but I have noticed that most of our first-job hires are high performaning interns - true they had to be in college to get those internships, but my point is more that the traditional 4 year college education will become a thing of the past.
Does it really benefit an illiterate 12th grader to be forced through a 4 year liberal arts college? No.
Like chevy chase says in Caddyshack “The world needs ditch diggers, too”
I agree with your general premise, a college education is not necessary to be a valued, high-performing employee. The lack of quality in the education being gained by many grads also affects that.
For the last 25 years a degree was just a convenient way for those hiring to screen the applicants, or more accurately, to trim the numbers to be interviewed.
However, in technical fields a certain level of knowledge is necessary in order to begin learning the real stuff in the real world.