Foreign delegations gain insight into dual education system

Dual vocational education and training (VET) is about giving students the right mix of skills, Ambassador Thomas Greminger said at the start of the SDC VET Day at the Casinotheater Winterthur. The audience comprised senior members of government from partner countries, SDC project managers, representatives of the private sector and administrators from the education and partner industries. Guests from 25 countries were invited to acquaint themselves with the Swiss dual VET system. Following a morning of speeches, they had the opportunity to meet apprentices in the afternoon.

Permeability – the Swiss system’s great plus point

Prof. Cornelia Oertle, Director General of the Swiss Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training, stressed that one of the Swiss education system’s advantages is its ‘permeability’: “Regardless of which career decisions people make, all options remain open to them.” She also said that the technical colleges – known in Switzerland as universities of applied sciences – are in no way inferior to traditional universities.

SDC VET specialist Brigitte Colarte-Dürr said in her speech that the SDC views VET as a prerequisite for individual economic and social development and that one of its aims is to increase the range of high-quality education and training available in partner countries. The SDC, she added, is committed to giving vulnerable groups – i.e. young people, women, ethnic minorities, rural populations, the poor and the unemployed – access to VET.

It became clear during the question and answer sessions between presentations that the reputation of apprenticeships, particularly compared with the prestige of a university degree, is a key issue. Brigitte Colarte-Dürr confirmed this. “Acceptance can be increased with success stories and improved career opportunities after VET,” she explained, advising educators to appeal to parents.

Sibylle Schmutz, Head of the Secretariat of the Donor Committee for Dual Vocational Education and Training, talked about the committee, a joint initiative launched by Switzerland together with Germany, Austria and Liechtenstein. It aims to position dual VET more strongly as an option in development cooperation and to make it more usable for partner countries. The committee offers an information and exchange platform as well as subject-specific support for its members and partners.

Promoting independence

The international guests were split into two groups in the afternoon, with one visiting the Swiss Technical College in Winterthur (STFW) and the other a competence centre for education and services in the agro-food sector. The STFW visit began at the automotive workshop where apprentices train to become car mechanics, fitters, bodywork experts and fabricators. Young men in blue overalls stood hunched over engines or searching for problems in gearboxes.

Someone in a corner could be heard to say, “You’ll never get it running again like that.” An instructor was discussing a problem with two apprentices. The college’s head Erich Meier explained that the idea is for them to try to find a solution themselves before consulting their instructor. The fascinated visitors wandered around the stripped-down cars of various makes and colours taking photos. 

From mechanic to police officer

One young trainee mechanic was working intently on part of an engine. When asked by a member of the Bolivian delegation about his future plans, he answered, “I want to finish my apprenticeship, spend a few years in the job and then train to be a police officer.” Apprentices take courses at the STFW in parallel with their work for about four weeks at a time to learn the basic skills of their profession.

The tour then took the guests to fabricators filing away at metal components and to welders in cubicles wearing protective goggles and equipped with welding guns. They find immigrants among the ventilation technicians, some of them from Eritrea. They can attend a 12-month RIESCO course at the STFW, which gives them a practical foundation in building and automotive systems.

Working on 3D models

The next stop was the Winterthur-based firm Engie, where the group met a young man in his second year as an apprentice ventilation technician. Calm and focused, he was working on a 3D model of an apartment ventilation system on his computer. “The air flows in here and back out again here,” he explained to the guests gathered around his desk.

A representative from the Cuban education ministry asked how much he will earn once he completes his apprenticeship. This was the only time the apprentice cast a quizzical look at his mentor, who was sitting opposite. In the end, the Cuban guest got his answer: beginners can expect a gross salary of CHF 4,500 a month.