So resuming the topic of TAFEs, America has "Adult Schools", "Community Colleges", "Professional Schools", and probably too many different names, each slightly different than the others, where one can get certification for various skills, or "Associates degrees".  However, certain professional certificates are actually very expensive to even take the class and/or test, with no guarantee that the certificate will be awarded despite the cost being paid.  And in the end, companies still view traditional degrees as the only legitimate standard and refuse to 'settle' for 'less' than a college education.  Education has become too much of a 'business' in America, a high school diploma means nothing, a bachelors degree means very little, and tuition even at public institutions is skyrocketing.  Job seekers run into artificially constructed competition, and end up working for less because they should be 'grateful' to even have a job at all.  Businesses demand unfair expectations from recent grads, they say 'you should have learned that in college', when it would be impossible for colleges to provide such specific and narrow training, while businesses shy away from providing on-the-job training as it is considered 'too expensive'.  You said TAFEs are very common sense, and that you were sure America must have something like it.  Unfortunately, the words 'common sense' and 'American education system' no longer belong in the same sentence anymore.

Sorry for the rant, but I just wanted to share my perspective on it.