Given today's realities in the job market, for many, if not most, PROFESSIONAL jobs, yes you will need college. It'll be very hard to change that. And in many cases, I don't think we should change that.
Example. I'm a CPA, an accountant. You do not need to have a college degree to be an accountant in general. However, without a college degree you'll mostly likely be stuck in lower level positions. You do need one to be a CPA (150 credit hours required in almost every state, if not all by now, to take the CPA exam). In order to change this, you'd have to convince 50 states, 50 state associations, the AICPA, plus whatever other associations to change it. Good luck with that.
You want to see a doctor who hasn't been to college? Take your beloved pet to a vet without a degree? No thanks. For that matter, I don't want my electrician to be self educated either.
A standardized education provides something else - some assurance to others that the person knows what they're doing. Doesn't mean that they do, but it's a good start. How we do that right now is college, and trade schools, etc. That may change, sure. But it's not going to change overnight, because we also would have to change the laws, employer's requirements and societal expectations. Not that easy.
What that means for your child - plan for flexibility. College isn't right for everyone. Maybe a trade school is better for a particular kid. But you may be better off investing that money outside of restrictive college-only accounts, just in case. Because we don't know what'll happen in 15 or 20 years. If college is still needed, then you'll be prepared. Maybe it'll morph into something we can't imagine right now. But be flexible.