> The article contains an implicit contradiction, especially in its praise of apprenticeships. Apprenticeships are typically something a person engages in during their teens or 20s, and therefore, whatever is learned during that apprenticeship, the skills can potentially be out-of-date 20 years later.

Sure, but apprenticeship means there's a culture of on-the-job learning and teaching, and strong trade unions lead to german workers being entitled to continuous learning and improvement.