Engineers generally don't go to grad school. For example, my program required 147 credits, compared to 120 for most. That's grad school right there. Then you have to wait 4 years as an engineer-in-training before you are permitted to take the PE exam. Not many have the time nor patience for grad school.
As for tech schools versus community college, we don't have that. They are one in the same in Illinois, generally. The nursing program here is great, and through a partnership with NIU, they can do most of their BSN on site, since that is what most hospitals want these days. I guess the RN alone no longer cuts it.