About the article, I must agree with the autor
Here, in Spain, when you finish the "Sound Technician" Grade, (The "Audio & Video Engineering" lessons in High schools started two years ago) you have to do 3 months of free work in some company, to get certificated as a "qualified technician"...
I had the luck (also looked for it) to get in one of the biggest studios here in Madrid, and the first day I was told my job will be bring coffe, be quiet and turn on some machines eventually. In the first recording session I was allowed to be in (I couldn't even go into the studio sessions the first month), I realized that I didn't learn anything of that in the school. I was fine, I didn't liked it, but I did the job for the next two months.
When I finished the three months training, they asked me to stay there for another 3 months for free, and the get some gigs at the studio, being the 4th or 5th technician, being payed ridicously...
Well, I learnt a lot there, but not about sound, the "chief engineer" was something about ridiculous (I knew some time after it was ther for being the son of somebody) when talking about sound technology, some kind of glorified gearslutz.
After that, I started running my little studio, growing it from a Home Studio to a Project Studio, and is now When I'm really learning about sound. And when I need a little help, I just work more and faster, I can't find nobody nice for the job
So, I see the educational system, at least here is a shame, I studied about sound before getting in the school, even I worked as a stage technician, I loved all the stuff about sound, and I feel the school make me a bit mediocre.
No learning about basic music reading, no computer learning but protools.. When I asked to a teacher (the most tech of them) how did the ballanced lines worked He couldn't explain it to me, saying "don't worry about that, let it to the engineers" ¿WTF? What Engineers? It was supposed to be the higher level in sound study.
Now, some of my partners and theachers, when I talk them about me building clones look me like I'm crazy, or tell me something like "So, you stopped working with sound?"
So I expect the educational level is higher in other countries...
Sorry for the long post, just trying to put the other point of view about this.