I can only speak to my experience in my school district....but it's the fourth largest in the nation. We have several top notch vocational schools and the process by which you enter is extremely competitive...they're not the dumping grounds for trash, IOW.
Baker Aviation teaches all facets of aircraft maintenance and I'm not talking Cessna's! With Miami International Airport directly across the street, there's jobs aplenty waiting on grads. Extremely high paying jobs. Then there's Turner Tech and that's a place for everything from auto mechanics to A/C repair and everything else. There are other programs, too. But as I said, they're for the highly motivated with a drive to succeed but those who just know the University thang isn't for them!
Good plan. Yes, I believe vocational school should not be for screw ups. But the cost of running them and insuring them was considered too much for the school district I taught at. But they were far more concerned with keeping teachers salaries high.