That is a factor, certainly. Antiquated paradigms have persisted in the German medical and university establishments.

But I would be surprised if we did not find this vocational-vs-personal-growth tension if we scratched the surface of the public education discourse in the UK as well.

The fact is that what we're experiencing right now is a top-down disaster. -Paul Krugman

I have no idea whether whatever German apprenticeships are pushed to, it is really “employer whims”. They are indeed ruthlessly modernised, at least by abolishing all the old names of occupation in favour of tasteless      „. . .-mechaniker” etc. There is a certain drift away from apprenticeships towards sub-academic degrees, (i) mimicking America which is a good thing in itself, and (ii) because it is cheaper in the short run for the enterprises. When it is too late, they will not be pleased.

On the whole, the apprenticeship system is endangered not by intrinsic failures, but by the simple fact that the silly OECD statistics that make up for education policy here disesteem apprenticeships in favour of sillyversity degrees.

Regarding medicine, I cannot believe that you would really consider  abandoning the “19th century research paradigm” (I suppose 18th century is a typo; then patients survived in spite of their doctors, as is well known).