Practical skills are very important, and it could be argued that they are as important as academic qualifications when it comes to getting a job. Nevertheless, I believe that it is unlikely that academic qualifications will ever become unnecessary.
To begin with, although there are certain manual jobs where formal qualifications are less important, education is still important to move up the career ladder. Employers in the cleaning and laboring service industries are more likely to employ people with a good working knowledge of the job and what it entails. Having said this, even in these jobs, it is important for people to have a minimum level of education, especially if they want to rise above the lowest working level. For example, to be promoted to a cleaner’s coordinator position, a person still needs the skills to manage other people, which are taught in management majors in universities.
In addition, academic background is needed because not all skills can be obtained easily without going to university. Certain professions can only be chosen when specific academic requirements are fulfilled. Doctors and lawyers would be good illustrations of this fact. None of us would expect or want a doctor to perform an essential operation without having qualifications from a medical school. Most people would not choose a lawyer simply because of their hobbies of watching crime TV series or having experience resolving conflicts in the local neighborhood. People want qualified professional doctors and lawyers who have passed certain types of education.
Clearly, academic qualifications providing theoretical knowledge are obviously important and cannot simply be replaced by experience or any practical skills. This theoretical knowledge forms an important basis for practical skills, which are also essential.