having education is important for development.. EG building things
but education is not important for economic growth..

so its not so much about general education and skill. its about the right skill for the right need of the area. we see many many universities offering education in many mundane and unneeded courses for an area. whereby many people get degree's but then end up working in walmart because there are no jobs for them

most already developed countries economies revolve around mostly the retail, tourist, leisure, entertainment and hospitality industry. just look at your own monthly spending. where do you mostly spend your funds.. you will see apart from rent(of a home build decades ago) your current spending that goes towards current workers is in retail and leisure industry, which doesnt require high skills..

so does it really take much skill/education to pour a martini at a beach bar or make a frappuccino in starbucks or stack shelves at walmart

skills are great for developing countries that are growing physically. but if its purely about economics of established countries.. skill is less important.. it all depends on the types of needs a population has, to the require certain skills to meet those needs in certain circumstances

EG no one needs a blacksmith to make horse shoes and horse vet in a big urban city/state
EG no one needs a bricklayer in a urban skyscraper city of steal and glass
EG no one needs a craftsman in a city of automated machines
EG no one needs a repair guy in a city of disposable products