Vocational education and training
In Switzerland the majority of adolescents commence vocational education and training (VET) after lower-secondary level. There are VET programmes for some 250 different professions. In Switzerland, many professional qualifications are obtained in upper secondary level, while in other countries the same qualifications are obtained in tertiary level education. The Swiss system therefore differs from most foreign systems of vocational and professional education and training. VET is predominantly based on a dual system: practical training (apprenticeship) on three to four days at a training company is supplemented by theoretical classes (vocational and general educational subjects) on one to two days at the VET school. In addition, the VET students attend inter-company courses, in which they enhance vocational practical skills.
The vocational education and training (VET) can also be completed at a full-time vocational school. In the French-speaking and Italian-speaking parts of Switzerland, the proportion of full-time vocational schools is higher than in German-speaking Switzerland.
Organisation of vocational education and training (VET)
Pupils who have completed lower secondary level and have reached the age of 15 can apply for an apprenticeship at a training company or (in some cases passing an entrance examination is required) enrol at a full-time vocational school. The training company decides on the selection procedure. In general, criteria for selecting a VET student include the student's performance in lower secondary level, the application documents and an interview. Various training companies also require applicants to pass an aptitude test.
Vocational education and training (VET) offers the following programmes:
Two-year vocational education and training VET programme with Federal VET Certificate
The two-year vocational education and training VET programme leading to a Federal VET Certificate offers adolescents with lower learning performance a federally recognised professional qualification. It prepares them for a less-demanding occupation.
Three- or four-year VET programme with Federal VET Diploma
The three- or four-year VET programme leading to a Federal VET Diploma provides training for work in a particular profession.
Learning objectives
The VET comprises professional practice, general education and vocational education subjects. The specific educational objectives and learning content for each learning provider (vocational schools, training companies and inter-company courses) are determined in the specific VET ordinances for each profession and in the specific training plans. Training plans are vocational education concepts for VET programmes. They specify skills and knowledge, number of lessons, inter-company courses and qualification procedures. The general education subjects taught at VET schools are regulated by the SERI Ordinance on the Minimum Regulations for General Education in Vocational Education and Training and by the core curriculum for general education within vocational education and training.
Assessment of VET students
The specific VET ordinances for each profession regulate the assessment procedures in the training companies and in VET schools.
VET training companies
The vocational trainer at the training company discusses the learning success with the VET student and records the VET student's educational status in a learning report. The learning report is issued once a semester. It contains objectives mutually arranged between the VET student and the vocational trainer, which are evaluated regularly. Professional, technical, social and personal skills and student's performances at the VET school and in inter-company courses are assessed. In the learning documentation, the VET students systematically record all significant work, acquired skills and experience. Learning documentations provide the vocational trainers with information about the student's learning progress, their vocational interests and motivation.
VET school
At the VET school, the student's performances in the individual subjects are assessed after each semester in the form of a report (6 = best grade, 4 = sufficient, below 4 = insufficient). If the student's performance at school is so poor as they throw doubt on the success of the vocational education and training organised in the training company, or if the student’s behaviour is unsatisfactory, the VET school contacts the training company in order to take appropriate measures. It may be necessary to repeat the entire year of VET programme, or to cancel the VET programme.
Graduation
The two-year VET programme leads to a Federal VET Certificate. Afterwards, depending on the occupational field, it is possible to complete a shortened form of the three or four-year vocational education and training programme.
The three or four-year VET programme leads to a Federal VET Diploma.
Catch up on federally recognised VET qualifications
Adults can also earn a VET qualification without attending a formal VET programme. According to the Federal Vocational and Professional Education and Training Act, there are several possible qualification procedures for demonstrating professional skills. There are four ways to obtain a Federal VET Diploma or a Federal VET Certificate. Two of these are through formal education with an apprenticeship contract, either abridged VET or a standard VET programme. The other two are both through non-formal education without an apprenticeship contract, either by validation of previous educational achievements or through direct admission to the final examination.
Federal Vocational Baccalaureate training
The Federal Vocational Baccalaureate (FVB) supplements VET programmes leading to the Federal VET Diploma with an extended general education programme. It provides direct access to enrolment in universities of applied sciences. The objectives, the number of lessons and the opportunities for specialisation are set out in the Ordinance for the Federal Vocational Baccalaureate and the FVB core curriculum.
Organisation of Federal Vocational Baccalaureate training
The Federal Vocational Baccalaureate can be obtained in a number of ways:
The first option, BM1, is through vocational education and training (VET): in a company or in a full-time VET school, attending the relevant courses of study. Additional conditions usually apply to admission, such as specific grades in the student report, admission examinations, etc. This also requires the consent of the employer. The additional teaching for vocational education and training (VET) normally requires another half-day of lessons. This usually starts in the first year of apprenticeship.
The second option, BM2, is after completing vocational education and training (VET), by attending classes for skilled professionals. Full-time training lasts two semesters, while part-time variants take three to five semesters. Some institutes offer preliminary courses for admission to the Federal Vocational Baccalaureate courses.
Another option is to prepare for and sit the Federal Vocational Baccalaureate examinations directly. These examinations are held once a year (July/August). Admission requires a Federal VET Diploma.
The Federal Vocational Baccalaureate provides admission to a study course related to the profession at a university of applied sciences without any further examinations. As well as the formal admission requirement, additional admission conditions may apply, such as traineeships, aptitude tests etc.
If the VET does not correspond to the desired area of study, a one-year qualifying internship may be completed in order to gain admission.
Individuals who, in addition to the Federal Vocational Baccalaureate, have passed the supplementary university aptitude test can register at a Swiss university or university of teacher education. The supplementary aptitude test may be prepared through self-learning or by attending a specially-designed course.
Assessment and graduation
In the Federal Vocational Baccalaureate (FVB) programme, assessment and promotion are regulated by the Ordinance on the Federal Vocational Baccalaureate. If the student's performances are insufficient, promotion to the next semester is effected on a provisional basis. Provisional status is only possible once during the entire FVB programme. Towards the end of the FVB programme, the students complete a written or practical interdisciplinary project assignment. This assignment is part of the FVB examination and relates to professional practice and to at least two subjects taught in the FVB programme.
The FVB programme leads to a Federal Vocational Baccalaureate. Graduates also have a Federal VET Diploma.