Although we also have a community college system that, while not quite an apprenticeship system, is still good at training people for jobs.
Depending on the cc, there are certificate programs that can be as short as a few months, and full-on two year degree programs, all of which can lead directly to jobs.
One problem that schools have (and I'm talking four year as well as two year schools) is that they all have some kind of placement office, and they are very frustrated that so few students come to them.
A while back I was in a two year paralegal program, and one of the requirements of the very first class we had to take, was to spend some time in the placement office, and work with them on generating a resume. The woman who was the head of the paralegal program at the time was very focussed on making sure the students could get jobs at the end. She also maintained contacts within the legal system in that area that could get internships, which were highly useful.
But the current meme that all young people should get a four year degree is utter nonsense. Not everyone wants that, not everyone is capable of that, and lots of jobs don't require that. Oh, and with all due respect to the anthropology majors out there, not all majors are suitable to get employment.
I will tell young people (unsolicited, because they never ask me) that they can go ahead and major in whatever they love, but never to lose sight of the fact that after college they will need to support themselves.
And while I don't know hard facts, I'd guess that well over fifty percent of all jobs out there don't require college, just the hands-on knowledge to do that job.