An Appraisal of the Swiss Vocational Education and Training System

214 Pages·2006·0.84 MB·English

4 Swiss research on vocational education and training Volume 4

Rolf Dubs
Is Swiss vocational education and training (VET) EU compatible? The new An Appraisal of the Swiss
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federal law on VET came into force in 2004. The preparatory work invol- i
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ved in drafting the law gave a fresh impetus to VET in Switzerland. Pro- c Vocational Education and
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fessor Rolf Dubs, a specialist in this field, examines emerging issues and E

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presents an appraisal of the Swiss dual system. Although his conclusions na Training System
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are largely positive, Professor Dubs stresses the need for constant reforms i
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of the system and a closer monitoring of changes in the world of work. c
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Commissioned by the Federal Office for Professional Education and Technology
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Dubs E Vorspann 07.02.2006 9:44 Uhr Seite I
An Appraisal of the Swiss Vocational
Education and Training System
Dubs E Vorspann_KorrS4 14.02.2006 10:16 Uhr Seite II
Professor em. Dr. Dres. h.c. Rolf Dubs
An Appraisal of the Swiss Vocational
Education and Training System
Commissioned by the Federal Office for
Professional Education and Technology
Series Title: Swiss research on vocational education and training, Volume 4
ISBN 3-03905-166-0
Ebenfalls in deutscher Sprache erhältlich:
Gutachten zu Fragen der schweizerischen
Berufsbildung
ISBN 3-03905-164-4
Egalement disponible en français sous le titre:
Rapport d’expertise sur les questions concernant la
formation professionnelle en Suisse
ISBN 2-606-01149-X
Layout: GBS, Lyss
Cover: Wiggenhauser & Woodtli GmbH, Zürich
Bibliografische Information Der Deutschen Bibliothek.
Die Deutsche Bibliothek verzeichnet diese Publikation
in der Deutschen Nationalbibliografie; detaillierte bibliografische
Angaben sind im Internet unter http://dnb.ddb.de abrufbar.
1stedition 2006
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Dubs E Vorspann 07.02.2006 9:44 Uhr Seite III
Prof. em. Dr. Dres. h.c. Rolf Dubs
An Appraisal of the
Swiss Vocational Education
and Training System
Commissioned by the
Federal Office for Professional Education
and Technology
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Dubs E Vorspann 07.02.2006 9:44 Uhr Seite V
Foreword by Joseph Deiss
Foreword by Joseph Deiss
Call for excellence in vocational education!
You are reading the first volume of a new series of publications on “voca-
tional education research”. This collection is launched in answer to a real
and urgent need. In fact, it is paradoxical that vocational education and
training, the path chosen by two thirds of young people, is seen as a
stepchild of educational research.
Solid scientific bases are indispensable to the monitoring of developments
in vocational education and training, and to providing it with support and
guidance. This new series aims to disseminate fundamental research and
thus to enrich the practices and reflections of those involved in vocation-
al education and training.
The study by Professor Rolf Dubs was particularly suitable for the launch
of this collection.
The author is an expert in Swiss vocational education and training and has
devoted much of his research to this field. In the present publication, Pro-
fessor Dubs provides an overview of Swiss vocational education and train-
ing against the background of educational developments in Europe.
What are the advantages and risks inherent in our system? Does it offer the
best chances of employment? The conclusions reached by Professor Dubs
are encouraging, though he goes beyond a laudatory stocktaking by pin-
pointing where there is room for improvement. He underlines the need
for those involved in vocational education to find compromises between
often conflicting interests. Such compromises should not simply take the
form of maintaining the status quo, as this would hold back the develop-
ment of Swiss vocational education.
Professor Dubs insists that the necessary conditions are there for the suc-
cess of our vocational education to continue. In this era of borders that
are steadily being opened and labour market conditions that are rapidly
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Foreword by Joseph Deiss
changing, we must commit ourselves to a strong vocational education sys-
tem. I am convinced that this new publication series will contribute to
achieving this goal.
Enjoy your reading!
Joseph Deiss
Federal Councillor
Head of the Federal Department of Economic Affairs
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Preface
Preface
The main task of the present appraisal is to provide fundamental observa-
tions on basic vocational education in Switzerland, especially practical
vocational training. The main questions touch on the position of basic
education in international development. Such a focus is justified by grow-
ing concerns that the Swiss dual vocational education system and its strong
emphasis on practical training might not be oriented enough towards the
future to account for a trend in individual European countries towards
vocational education that is purely school-based. Of particular importance
here is the international recognition of Swiss Universities of Applied Sci-
ences (UAS) for the pursuit of studies abroad and for the exercising of an
economic activity.
Finding solutions is difficult for three reasons.
First, these questions have only been researched empirically, which
makes scientific reasoning difficult.
Second, EU vocational education policy is not necessarily binding and
is currently in a state of fluctuation. At the time the appraisal was com-
pleted, a basic vocational education credit system, which should improve
professional mobility, had yet to be established since it is difficult to
account for the special features of all EU members’ vocational education
systems in the design.
Third, there are many decisions that are political and rely heavily on the
opinions of trade associations. If, for whatever reason, the latter take a neg-
ative view of innovative proposals from experts and interested parties to
develop the vocational system, these will effectively become redundant
regardless of their scientific and/or rational justification.
For this reason, the author decided not only to look at seven central
questions, but also to conduct a wider and more exhaustive examination
of the issues at stake with the aim of providing a more discriminating
overview.
The findings of this appraisal of the Swiss vocational education system
have been far from pessimistic. The dual (three-track) vocational educa-
tion system has its own inherent advantages and creates good opportuni-
ties for youth employment. However, there is a clear need to make the sys-
tem more flexible. All things considered, the findings on the development
of Universities of Applied Sciences (UAS) are positive. Entry to UAS from
the vocational school level is adequate. Furthermore, the adoption of the
Bologna Declaration requirements and the European Credit Transfer Sys-
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Preface
temare steps in the right direction. Possible problems (e.g. dilution of the
Bachelor title for UAS) can be solved, if the UAS now concentrate on
improving the quality and the range of the services they provide in rela-
tion to a broader range of services they offer.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Dr. Matthias Pilz, a re-
searcher at the Institut für Wirtschaftspädagogik at the University of St.
Gallen, for his extensive work on individual parts of this appraisal. The con-
clusions drawn by the author are entirely his own.
St. Gallen, 1st April 2004 Rolf Dubs
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Executive summary
Executive summary
The Federal Office for Professional Education and Technology (OPET)
commissioned an expert report to examine seven specific questions, which
have been answered in Chapter 6. In addition, the OPET requested that
the basic vocational education system and the development of the Uni-
versities of Applied Sciences (UAS) be presented in such a way that con-
clusions could be drawn on the international positioning of the Swiss voca-
tional education system. For this reason, the introductory summary offers
a broader approach.
Chapter One examines some criticisms levelled at the dual vocational
education system in Switzerland.
1.It shows why a diversified educational system is essential (i.e. gener-
al/vocational education, universities/UAS). This chapter shows that
merely increasing the number of young people going in for a Matura
will not suffice as an educational means of improving the attractiveness
of Switzerland as an economic location (Section 1.2.1).1
2.The imbalance between the supply of and demand for apprenticeship
places will continue to be a problem. Given the wide range of influences
on demand and supply, this cannot be solved with a single policy instru-
ment. There must be a range of measures, tailored to the specific fail-
ures of the market (Section 1.2.2).
3.The varying demands of large, medium-sized and small companies for
specific occupations are likely to increase further. Based on the gener-
ally worded Federal Law on Vocational Education of 13 December
2002 (BBG), decrees can be designed to take those multiple demands
into account (Section 1.2.3).
4.Most of the criticisms of the dual vocational education system, brought
forward mainly by foreign experts, are too general and thus often do
not withstand empirical scrutiny (Section 1.2.4).
5.Many weaknesses of the Swiss dual vocational education system are
mentioned in the first OECD report on the Swiss education system. The
report, however, generally pays hardly any regard to specific Swiss fea-
tures, but it reflects the thinking of European experts who are influen-
tial in matters of European vocational education policy matters (Section
1.2.5).
1 Chapter sections provided in brackets.
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