UK gov: "let's have a Germany-style education system".
.
English education experts: "that's a bad idea because England doesn't have a Germany-style manufacturing economy".
.
Tom: "actually, quite a lot of England does. What about having such an education system in those places?".

Decent rule of thumb is that manufacturing is 20% of Germany's economy. Here's a list of the local authorities in the UK where it's higher.
* Flintshire
* Barrow-in-Furness
* Copeland
* Fylde
* Knowsley
* Mid and East Antrim
* Melton
* Wrexham
* Ribble Valley
* Pendle

* North Lincolnshire
* Cheshire East
* Caerphilly
* Stratford-on-Avon
* Bridgend
* Moray
* Corby
* Blaenau Gwent
* Derby
* Neath Port Talbot
* Amber Valley
* Kingston upon Hull, City of
* Rhondda Cynon Taf
* Mid Ulster
* Rossendale
* Cheshire West and Chester
* Redditch

* South Derbyshire
* High Peak
* Torfaen
* Forest of Dean
* Fenland
* Sunderland
* North East Derbyshire
* Erewash
* Hyndburn
* Allerdale
* Stroud
* Stevenage
* South Somerset
* Halton
* South Holland
* Tewkesbury
* Clackmannanshire
* Daventry
* Ryedale
* Blackburn with Darwen

* Bassetlaw
* North East Lincolnshire
* Burnley
* Falkirk
* Babergh
* Solihull
* Oadby and Wigston
* Telford and Wrekin
* Fife
* Wellingborough
* Barking and Dagenham
* Sandwell
* Ashfield

I say this as a fellow eye-roller when UK gov. says for the hundredth time in a decade that it wants a Germany-style education system here. Just sharing why the top reaction from national experts is usually ignored in the North and the Midlands.