Exchanges among countries allow for valuable insights into keeping educational systems up-to-date and in line with new trends and developments. Recently, the United States has shown increasing interest in learning about the Swiss apprenticeship model. U.S. entrepreneurs and officials have become more familiar with the Swiss system and have identified the great potential for the labor market in the combination of on-the-job training with classroom instruction. Switzerland and the United States have been conducting an intensive dialogue on apprenticeships.

On 23 October 2024, Switzerland and the United States of America renewed their memorandum of understanding to expand and strengthen apprenticeships in both countries. The document was signed between Federal Councilor Guy Parmelin, the Head of the Swiss Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research and three U.S government agencies at the residence of the Swiss Ambassador in Washington D.C. The agreement aims to deepen the exchange of knowledge, talent and information between education and economic actors in both countries in the years 2024-2027.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) builds on the cooperation in the field of vocational education and training that has existed for several years between Switzerland and the USA. The collaboration was established with a joint declaration in 2015 and then institutionalized through a three-year MoU in 2018 and another in 2021.

Specifically, the MoU promotes the exchange of ideas and best practices through study tours and official delegation visits, the mobility of talent and apprentices and the experience of Swiss companies committed to training apprentices in the U.S.

The signing ceremony opened with remarks by the Swiss Ambassador to the United States of America, Dr. Ralf Heckner, and followed by remarks from the U.S Department of Labor’s Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training José Javier Rodríguez, Commerce’s Assistant Secretary for Global Markets Arun Venkataraman, and Education’s Deputy Undersecretary for Postsecondary Education Jennifer Mishory. Federal Councilor Guy Parmelin provided the final signature on behalf of the Swiss Confederation.

Read the full 2024 Memorandum of Understanding here. (PDF, 4 Pages, 1.4 MB, English)

The cooperation between the two countries was first formalized in 2015 when former Swiss Federal Councilor Schneider-Ammann and former U.S. Secretary of Commerce Pritzker signed a Joint Declaration of Intent on Vocational Education and Training in Washington, DC, on July 9, 2015. The signing ceremony in Washington, DC, was followed by a second ceremony in Bern on September 1, 2015, with former U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez. The initial Joint Declaration of Intent provided a framework to explore cooperation possibilities between the two countries in the area of education and training systems and served as a foundation for the 2018 Memorandum.

Read the full Joint Declaration of Intent (PDF, 2 Pages, 19.0 kB)

In 2018, the cooperation was renewed when Switzerland and the United States signed a first MoU concerning cooperation on advancing apprenticeship, career and technical education, and vocational and professional education and training. Both countries emphasized their belief in the importance of promoting education and training as a factor in individual development and achievement, economic development, and social growth, as well as a means for strengthening the ties between the two countries. The signing ceremony at Northern Virginia Community College in Woodbridge, VA, took place on December 3, 2018, between former Swiss Federal Councilor Johann Schneider-Ammann and former U.S. Secretaries Ross, DeVos, and Acosta of the U.S. Departments of Commerce, Education, and Labor.

Read the full 2018 Memorandum of Understanding (PDF, 8 Pages, 569.2 kB)

On November 18, 2021, Swiss President and Head of the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research Guy Parmelin, U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh, U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, and U.S. Deputy Secretary of Commerce Don Graves signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that builds on the two countries’ previous collaboration on vocational education and training. The MoU recognizes the added value of the Swiss-style apprenticeship model in the United States and reinforces the strong bilateral relationship between the two countries.  It also emphasizes the need for inclusivity and to serve underserved communities while making clear that apprenticeships represent an opportunity open to all.

The signing ceremony occurred during the 7^th annual U.S. National Apprenticeship Week in Washington, DC. The MoU’s main goal is to expand registered apprenticeship programs across a variety of sectors and occupations in the United States. For that purpose, it promotes the exchange of ideas and best practices and calls for direct contact, partnerships, and joint undertakings between companies, project execution agencies, and other vocational education and training stakeholders. After the memorandum was signed, the U.S. and Swiss officials as well as company representatives from both countries participated in a roundtable discussion on vocational education and training. The MoU will be in effect through December 2023.

Read the full 2021 Memorandum of Understanding (PDF, 3 Pages, 299.3 kB, English)