That’s the message of William McGurn’s column today in the Wall Street Journal.

McGurn points out that there are good jobs available to people who don’t have college degrees. For most, they need some postsecondary training to acquire the necessary skill sets, but a bachelor’s degree is not the way to accomplish that. He quotes Prof. Robert Lerman: “In my view we need a larger portfolio of options that will help people get the skills they need, both in our classrooms and on our jobsites.”

That’s right, and it seems to me that the way to find those options that really work (rather than just grandstanding) is for entrepreneurs to search for new kinds of educational programs that individuals and/or employers will voluntarily pay for. There is increasing realization that the standard postsecondary model of a bachelor’s degree encompassing a major, some gen ed courses, and a number of electives, all taking at least four years to complete costs too much and delivers too little for many. But politicians won’t find the ideal new options any more than they’ll find the ideal new energy sources. What we need is the free market’s discovery process.