I feel the key bit here is to look at the outcome of the education. He is right to be worried about a quarter-million dollar tuition bill, and there is absolutely no point in doing so for a path with poor job prospects.

There are some paths where the university choice does matter, others that don't.

Going into the trades is not a bad idea I think, but again it needs to be a conscious decision for the pros and the cons.

I think the key bit is do some research, try and get a week long internship in the job that he is looking for and/or try to speak with seniors/grads.