I would add that if a pupil can read and comprehend formal and informal texts fluently and easily, complete forms accurately, file documents sensibly and reliably, compose a business letter properly, type speedily and accurately, write straightforward reports, do basic everyday arithmetic, trigonometry and algebra with confidence and accuracy, understand basic scientific principles such as proof, controls and risk, and conduct a simple conversation in another language, then this will equip them well for a lifetime of employment with only short periods out of work.
If he/she has a practical skill, which could be anything from DIY, computer coding, decorating and curtain making to playing piano, gardening and woodwork, then he/she can either choose that as a career, or use it as a basis for earning extra money whilst following an office-based career, or whilst between jobs. Similarly pupils need to learn to cook and sew, manage their finances and deal with their health, etc.
If he/she also has a sense of being valued, of being part of something worthwhile, of belonging to society in a wider sense and mattering to that society, then he/she is more likely to be happy whilst doing the rest.
Where we fall down is making kids draw pictures of things they could make instead of actually making them; making kids think it doesn't matter if they can't do their times tables or spell or complete work neatly if nobody comments on it at the time; making kids think nobody cares what they are up to in the bigger scheme of things because it is all a matter for them individually, and so on. Nobody means to do this but it still happens, and it is not always confined to the state sector by any means. (You only have to stand there in Freshers Week and see inept Cambridge undergraduates struggling to cope with loading a washing machine, or getting a cold, or managing their money, to realise that even the brightest in academic terms are not well served by our current education system).