Education for job is the idea in the modern world. How it differs from the previous thought?

In the old days Education was something that we "did", it was expected of us and it's basis was the requirement to be proficient on the three things that, it was thought, that you couldn't get through everyday life without: Reading, Writing and Arithmetic. Nowadays Education not only gives us a good grounding in the "core" subjects it is angled (especially secondary or further education) towards employment in a particular field and therefore appears more meaningful. Many further Education Colleges in UK focus on Vocational skills where in the past they would have been more Academically orientated. Certainly there is a lot more emphasis on Modern History, Politics and Current Affairs than there ever was in my day, unless you are a "Historian" in the fullest sense of the word, it is surely better for youngsters to know which British Prime Ministers have had the greatest influence over the past50 years, than it is to know how many elephants Hannibal crossed the Alps with! Possibly not the best of analogies but I hope you get my meaning!