Читать книгу Swiss Vocational and Professional Education and Training (VPET) - Philipp Gonon, Emil Wettstein - Страница 21

High-performing youths can be found in all types of VET, and trainers should cater to them, including an enrichment of the requirements and tasks in work-based training (Stamm, Müller & Niederhauser, 2006, p. 67). VET is particularly suited for promoting youths who are highly motivated to face challenges and who have a particular talent for implementing ideas. This can often be observed in the host company. Some companies respond with particular measures in which they promote the independence of learners in “junior enterprises” (Juniorunternehmen). Individual departments may be headed by learners, for example, and entire operating units are managed by them. Here, learners do not only acquire the corresponding skills required for management, they can also explore, discover and try out innovations.

In connection with a high performance level of vocational skills, the apprentice and vocational skills competitions must also be mentioned. These offer a particular incentive for learners but also for companies to develop their level of performance (cf. DBK, 1999) and to demonstrate this outside the daily business in the company.

Art in Wood – carpentry apprentice competitions in the canton of Lucerne – example of a regional competition

The Verband Luzerner Schreiner (Lucerne Carpenters’ Association) organises annual apprentice competitions under a certain motto and which are based on work done by the learners in their free time. First of all, a sketch is submitted, then – if there is positive feedback from the jury – there is the possibility of making a product on the machines of the host company. A specialist jury and a design jury award prizes for the pieces of work and hand out an innovation prize, for example. Then the products are exhibited.

For the 2013 competition, 61 apprentice carpenters from the canton of Lucerne created pieces of furniture based on their own ideas, and these were assessed by the jurors (Verband Luzerner Schreiner, 2013).

The vocational skills competitions, which have been established internationally for a long time, are particularly prestigious. Since back in the 1950s, talented representatives of various job categories have been competing against each other and measuring their specialist knowledge and skills in the individual job categories of crafts and trades, industry and services. Switzerland regularly finishes in the top positions at these events and has been the most successful European country for years. The medals which are won are not only seen as top performances of individuals but also, in the opinion of many observers, reflect the performance level of the VET system of a country in general.

At the 43rd World Skills Competitions in 2015 in São Paulo, there were 40 young Swiss professionals who, measured by Swiss standards, did not do as well as usual. With their 4th position in the national ranking they did not belong – for the first time since 2001 – to the first three winners, even if they still finished first among the European nations (Schmid E., 2013b).