There is a weird tension between universities preparing people for academia or preparing preparing people for a job. On the one hand, universities are academic places. They are not job training, they are where you learn the scientific basis of a subject.

On the other hand, cold hard statistics says that most people don't stay in academia (and considering reports, academia is already saturated with willing recruits). So therefore it makes sense that universities prepare people for a job at a company.

This issue is exaggerated in the Netherlands (where I live) because we have a formal difference between 'University' and 'HBO' (Translates to Higher Vocational Training). On the face of it, the former is academic and the latter is focused on getting a job. However, University has higher acces requirements, and is therefore more prestigious. This means that University will probably land you a better job than HBO even though HBO probably prepares you better for doing your job. Thus, Universities here are focusing on soft-skills and preparing people for the working life. It seems they are forgetting they are academic because people who should be going to HBO are going to university for 'Virtue signaling'. But I digress.

In general, there seems to be an assumption that college will prepare you for life afterwards. It is thought unreasonable that someone with only a college education isn't suited for a job. The response to this is to focus on including such practical matters in a college education; as opposed to encouraging students to get extra-curricular experience.

/rant