Consider what happened at San Jose State after the university last fall ran a test course in electrical engineering paid for by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Combined with other exams, this test helps determine the geographical region students will work in for the duration of their foundation programme - a two-year training course which forms the bridge between medical school and training for a specialism.
But what government can do is lay the foundation for small businesses to expand and to thrive, for entrepreneurs to open up shop and test out new products, for workers to get the training that they need, and for families to achieve some measure of economic security.