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The Dual Vocational Training System A Swiss Model for Success

Ren Eichenberger, rene.eichenberger@rdm.com

Switzerland has a long tradition in using dual vocational training system, which means manyyears of experience to look back on.However, the Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences are phasing out the Swiss dual system,just as interest in the model is growing at international level.

In European countries, more than 5 million jobs have been wiped out since the start of theeconomic crisis in 2007, with young people most severely affected: Skilled posts are now harderto come by, especially for young people looking for work. There also is an increasing number ofpeople who only have temporary contracts and internships. Across many parts of Europe, 20

40% of young people are unemployed, with Germany as the exception, where the same figurestands at around 8%. Problems with livelihood and the accompanying potential for social andpolitical unrest are not the only issues being faced in many countries: There are alsoconsiderable follow-up costs for individual states. Experience tells us that anyone unable to findtheir way into the workplace when they are younger will find it much more difficult to 'catch up'later on in life.Despite the uncertain situation in Switzerland because of the massive overvaluation of theSwiss Franc and the gloomy economic outlook, the country is still doing very well comparedwith other nations, with a mere 4% of 15 to 24 year-olds out of work at present.

The Success Story behind the Dual Vocational Training System

The country's success is based not least on the dual vocational training system with practicaltraining in a company in parallel with attendance at a vocational college such as the GIBB inBern. This model has stood the test of time and will continue to do so and it is used as a guidingmodel in many countries with good reason. A modern society cannot merely consist of theorists it needs, and will need, a sufficient number of professionals with practical training who can rollup their sleeves, get stuck in and get the job done, and who know the challenges faced inpractice. In terms of vocational training, experienced staff are required who are able to filltrainees with enthusiasm for a particular profession.Switzerland should stand its ground faced with inflammatory chastisement from the OECD timeand time again, which sees the country accused of having too low a number of graduates. Let'snot forget that recent developments in some of its European neighbors can easily be attributedto the fact that training there has been made overly academic.

Not So Easy to Replicate

Germany has a similar dual vocational training system and is, like Switzerland, looking intoofficial recognition by the international community, something which countries both failed to dopreviously, mainly because of a lack of information. The recently published OECD report onvocational training in Switzerland, which gave top marks to its system, fuels hope for betterrecognition.However, as good as the country's training system is, transferring and adapting it into the socialreality of other countries is another matter, and one that poses problems. Often in Switzerland, itis not made clear which prerequisites must be fulfilled for this training system to functioncorrectly. The system in Switzerland is a long-standing tradition and includes finely-tunedpartnerships between companies and government departments, as well as collaborationbetween professional associations, employers' organizations, and trade unions.

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Constant Adjustments are Necessary

There are critics who are openly in favor of phasing out the system as it does not necessarily

guarantee that students will learn certain key competences and basic skills. To ensure that theundoubtedly successful dual training system will continue to gain acceptance in the future,adjustments have been made in recent times to meet new requirements, and will need tocontinue to be made in future too. An important milestone was reached with the professionalbaccalaureate, which means that young people who have taken the vocational training route togo on to study at advanced technical schools or even at universities. In many cases, schoolleavers with this qualification are in higher demand on the job market than other school leaverswho have taken a more academic route, thanks to their high level of practical skills and trainingtargeted towards work in a particular profession.Rapid advances in technology, which quickly render job descriptions obsolete and cause thehalf-life period of any acquired knowledge to shrink drastically, are a constant headache fortraining centers, tutors, and trainees. As a result, any knowledge imparted over the training

period must be broad enough to ensure that young people are flexible in how they adapt to newrequirements following their graduation, and that they are capable of switching between relatedprofessions. It is clear that this kind of flexibility requires a broader level of theoreticalknowledge, as well as, most notably, more extensive IT skills. Today, these are now widelyconsidered to be basic skills across virtually all professions. A further consequence of theserapid advances in technology is that a person's initial training no longer determines their careerpath later in life.

Life-Long Learning

Regardless of what our initial training was made up of, the life-long learning that follows it iswhat counts. For a successful career, continual further training that relates as much as possible

to the jobs market is vital, as is motivation and enjoyment for life-long learning.The existing dual training system must be optimized on an ongoing basis by its protagonists andthose that promote it.At the moment, these protagonists are working on personalizing the subject matter studied inorder to do more justice to the wide variety of talents and aptitudes of students. What's more,thought is being given to which extra rules will be put in place as part of a legal framework forfurther education and training.Indian minister Kapil Sibal, who has shown great interest in the Swiss model, summed it up asfollows at an education fair in Delhi: "Each child is like a star in the sky. They have their ownparticular talents and strengths. Our task is to focus on individual skills, so that all these starscan shine."

R&M and the Dual Vocational Training SystemR&M is a firm believer in the dual vocational training system and the company is currentlytraining 27 apprentices across different fields twice as many as three years ago. With theiroutstanding grades and achievements time and time again, many of these apprentices aremaking real headway. R&M's trainee design engineers have just received an award for a projectin which they designed an easily integrable high-performance electric engine for mountainbikes, known as "CyberSpeed". The trainees are confident that with the "CyberSpeed" theyhave developed a product that is superior to conventional electric bikes lighter and morepowerful.