Should kids be taught in school that their primary focus needs to be preparing for the workforce?

To be clear,  I don't have children. 

I think it's pretty important to be honest.  There's a lot of fluff I was taught in school that made it less interesting and wasn't really useful in the long run.  Wasted time that could have taught my class useful practical knowledge.  Talking to the children in my family now it seems even more fluff is eating up lesson time.

Kids should be taught how to learn so they want to learn. Einstein said it...Education begins when you leave school. Interesting that I had no use for teachers other than for moral and ethical issues. We taught our kids the desire to learn and how to learn. They chose their own careers.

Hello JA:

I don't think your education should prepare you to be a good little worker bee.  But, it should prepare you for work, since most of us have to engage in it.  It doesn't have to be drudgery, though.  In fact, I find work to be quite rewarding.

excon

I don't have any children, but if I did I would teach them history, economics, statistics, and How to Ask The Next Question.

In doing so, I hope they would learn the common popular notion Education = Workforce Success is nonsense.

Consider the recent news about Indiana having to bribe Carrier Crop. into keeping some of the jobs Carrier was going to send to Mexico in Indiana. Does that indicate a shortage of educated workers? Or does it indicate a SURPLUS of workers with sufficient education such that Carrier can move facilities to Mexico, confident the workers there will do just fine?

I think we know the answer...;-D....

Noooooo i think its AWFUL.. I shall tell you why... one reason is that the demands of workforce/industry change all the time.. for example at one time we needed manufacturers and people who could DO things, now we need people who are computer savvy...when i was at school they wouldn't let me learn to type.. they said i was too intelligent .. but now look EVERYONE needs to be able to type...   loads of examples along that front... so point is training kids to be drones and all follow a perceived useful route will more than likely end up with a bunch of kids who have skills that aren't even needed or not have skills they do need.. 

The purpose of education as I was taught was to create a lifelong love of learning.. its in that that we gain flexibility and adaptabilty and kids that can learn new things, face new challenges confidently... 

I think education should concentrate on encouraging happy, confident, healthy children who are the best them they can be.. don't turn them into little clones.. no one size fits all.. 

And yes it's true many uni graduates are paper smart but not world smart.... but doesnt that just show that industry needs to concentrate more on the individual rather than constantly pushing for qualifications

No kids ... But I think you have reason to be concerned ... Work is mostly there to subsidise your life ... It's a means to an end, not the end itself!

Primary focus? No. Kids should be taught some essential life skills, however, and not be completely unprepared for the workforce, but ultimately the education of children is a preparation for higher learning and this is where you may prepare more specifically for a career. It's hard for me to comment considering that my whole life revolves around academia, but schools are not "job factories". They should provide an understanding of the world, of which being a part of the workforce is only one aspect. 

Have no kids but was an art teacher for 20 years.

Most animals teach their offspring how to find food and shelter and what to avoid. 
If the schools don't teach the basics then the parents must.
It is vital to learn the skills of surviving and earning a living.

Apart from the basics of literacy, numeracy, communication skills, good general knowledge, 
understanding how and why our society works and its problems is a good start,
and preferably how other cultures find solutions too.  

Important: research, thinking, communication, creativity, and ability to adapt to change.
Most important: a good character is the biggest predictor of success. 
So education needs to help develop qualities such as 
empathy, ethical awareness, honesty, responsibility, and consideration for others' needs.