Читать книгу The Swiss Vocational Education and Trainig Initiative India - Ursula Renold - Страница 19

The first vocational education and training act came into force in 1933 and laid the legal foundation for VET at national level to which all actors – the federal government, cantons and professional organisations (PO) – were bound. Before then, each canton had been able to establish rules for VET at their own discretion. The fourth edition of the Vocational and Professional Education and Training Act (VPETA) of 2002[7] is in force today (cf. BBG 2002)[8]. The areas regulated by the Act are in particular the structure, implementation, monitoring and financing of the VPET system, as well as defining the competences and responsibilities of the different actors. The objectives of the Act are specified in Chapter 1, Art. 3 VPETA:

«Art. 3 Objectives

This Act shall foster and develop:

a.a VPET system that enables individuals to develop on an occupational, professional and personal level, to become integrated into society, and particularly into the labour market, that provides them with the skills they need, the willingness to work in a flexible manner and the ability to compete on the labour market;

b.a VPET system that enables companies to become more competitive;

c.a balancing of education and training opportunities in social and regional terms, true gender equality and the elimination of discrimination against people with disabilities;

d.the ability of learners to transfer from one course of study and/or educational approach to another within the VET and PET sectors as well as between the VET and PET sectors and other sectors of the education system (permeability);

e.greater transparency of the VPET system.»

To make it clear that VET and PET are not at the same education level (VET is at upper-secondary II and PET at tertiary level) and therefore comprise different subject matters that require different conditions, a separate chapter is dedicated to each in the Act. The VET subject matter is outlined in Chapter 2, Section 2, Article 15, Section 1 and 2 of VPETA as follows:

«Art. 15 Subject matter

1VET programmes are intended to ensure the transfer and acquisition of upper secondary-level skills, knowledge and know-how (hereinafter referred to as competences) needed to carry out the tasks associated with an occupation, occupational field or field of activity (the latter two terms hereinafter referred to jointly as «occupational activity»).

2In particular, VET programmes include the transfer and acquisition of:

a.specific competences that learners require in order to carry out an occupational activity in a competent and confident matter;

b.basic competences in language, communication and society (LCS) that learners require in order to gain access to the labor market, remain economically active and become part of society;

c.economic, environmental, social and cultural knowledge and skills that learners need to contribute to sustainable development;

d.ability and willingness to pursue lifelong learning, exercise critical judgment and reach decision.»

The Act therefore defines which criteria the education programmes have to meet in order to be recognised as VET programmes: they have to convey both knowledge and skills. Hence, the Act is an actual education law (as opposed to a purely subsidy legislation). In the ensuing legislative articles, further provisions for VET are defined such as the learning venues, the duration of vocational education and training courses or the establishment of job-specific VET ordinances.

The PET subject matter is outlined one chapter later in Chapter 3, Article 26, Section 1 of VPETA:

«Art. 26 Subject matter

1Tertiary-level professional education and training (PET) is intended to enable the transfer and acquisition of tertiary-level competences needed to carry out the complex tasks and decision-making associated with a given profession.»

This means that PET is intended to impart skills that enable complex tasks to be carried out.

The important role which the actors in the Swiss VPET system have is indicated by their position in the Act. The first article in the first chapter sets out the following principle on the responsibilities held within the VPET system:

«Art. 1 Principles

1Responsibility for upper-secondary level vocational education and training (VET) and tertiary-level professional education and training (PET) shall be shared by the confederation, the cantons and professional organisations (social partners, trade associations as well as other organisations and VET and PET providers). They shall strive to ensure that there is an adequate number of VET and PET programmes, particularly in promising occupational fields.»

The Act lists three main actors who are responsible for the VPET system: the federal government, the cantons and the professional organisations. This makes the actors equal partners in the VPET system. As a rule, the federal government is responsible for the central organisation and regulation of the entire VPET system, with a single federal office in charge. The cantons and the professional organisations lay down local rules and support the development of the system. As we will discuss later, the professional organisations have a key role in defining the training content. Figure 4 depicts an administration model characterising the curriculum value chain which we will discuss in the next section.

Figure 4: Governance of the Swiss vocational education and training system. Compiled by the authors

When taking a closer look at the three actors involved, the following comes to light. The main task of the federation is the development and adaptation of the VPET legislation and the strategic development of the entire system. The cantons are responsible for the implementation of the VPETA and the provision and supervision of the vocational schools. Switzerland comprises 26 cantons, and there are therefore 26 cantonal VET offices which are entrusted with the implementation and supervision of VET. To facilitate the coordination between the VET offices, the Swiss VET Offices Conference (SBBK) was set up. Other tasks of the VET offices involve the inspection of training companies, provision of job information centres, marketing of VET as a good study option and the supervision of the regional apprenticeship market.

Level	Professional organisation	Unions	Role in VPET governance
Role in VPET governance	Swiss Employers Confederation	Confederation of Swiss Trade Associations	Swiss Federation of Trade Unions	TravailSuisse (Swiss Associations of Commercial Employees)	Member of Federal Commissions / Federal expert groups, policy topics
National	Professional organisations	Professional organisations	Trade unions: involvement only based on «collective labour agreements»	Responsible for occupation, framework curriculum, training material etc.
Regional	Regional chambers of commerce of trade associations	Regional sections of trade unions	Promotion of apprenticeships, exam experts

Figure 5: Social partner organisations in Swiss VET. Compiled by the authors

The third partner, the professional organisations, are either employers’ or employees’ organisations. Employers’ organisations are composed of professional associations, companies and smaller VET organisations. Social partnerships in Switzerland generally function very well, and the unions, although not as strong as in Germany, have an impact on VET by influencing education policy. Figure 5 lists the different responsibilities of the most important social partners.

The members of professional organisations are jointly responsible for the training plan content and decide together with the federal government which VET programmes are needed. This decision-making power over the training plans ensures that the professional organisations in particular play a major role in determining the content of education curricula. The drafting of training plans is of great importance, since the professional organisations use them to determine which professions are demanded on the labour market and should therefore be included, updated or excluded. In addition, the professional organisations are responsible for providing apprenticeship positions, the provision and running of inter-company courses, the production of teaching material for the training establishments and the implementation of practical tests. Another task involves revising the job-specific VET ordinances.

The job-specific VET ordinances are laws which contain the basic education plans of each occupation. Education plans can be understood as national core curricula which are concretised in the respective places of learning through school curricula, in-house training programmes or inter-company course programmes. We will therefore be discussing the framework curricula below. These framework curricula, that have existed for all occupations only since the newest VPETA came into force, are the centrepiece of the Swiss VET system. In hardly any other country is the content of the qualification standards for all places of learning managed in such a coordinated and transparent way. The ordinances, which are listed in the Classified Compilation of Federal Law, govern for example the occupation, training content, criteria that must be met to be counted as a qualified employee and the qualification process, i.e. national or local assessment and verification.

There are around 230 occupation-specific ordinances that have been promulgated by the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI), formerly known as the Federal Office for Professional Education and Technology (OPET). SERI ensures that the regulations are applicable throughout Switzerland, i.e. for large and small businesses. At professional education and training level, SERI recognises eight areas[9] with 57 subjects and 450 education programmes at PET schools (SBFI 2015b) and around 400 national PET examinations[10].

The federal government, the cantons and the professional organisations together adapt the ordinances, with the professional organisations and the social partners again taking the lead. To avoid having to readjust the process each time, the federal government has developed guidelines that adhere to the necessary steps. An important guideline for VET is the manual for the creation and updating of VET ordinances. It describes in detail each step in the renewal process and defines the responsible actors (BBT 2007). Hence, knowledge about VET planning is documented and the curricula enjoy a comparable qualification standard.

Other actors in addition to the three main partners include, for example, the Swiss Federal Institute of Vocational Education and Training (SFIVET) and researchers. SFIVET is a tertiary-level university institute for prospective VPET teachers and students who wish to specialise in VPET. For those who are interested in VPET system management in Switzerland, SFIVET offers a Master of Science in Vocational Education and Training. This institute is the first choice for teacher training in the field of VET, and also offers training courses for experts in PET (mostly prospective teachers in VET, examination experts or teachers for inter-company courses).

Besides SFIVET, other institutes may also offer training in the field of VPET. They require approval from the federal government as well. The requirements for prospective VET teaching staff are very demanding due to the high standards which need to be fulfilled. Vocational school teachers in upper-secondary II education, for example, require a university degree, at least six months’ experience and 1,800 hours’ experience in VET pedagogy. The minimum requirements are laid down by law and concretised in the framework curricula for the VET authorities (SBFI 2015c).

Other actors are researchers who influence the design of the VPET system with the results they provide. The research results demonstrate why the Swiss VPET system has been so successful, and point out potential for improvement[11] to ensure the optimisation of its efficiency, effectiveness and equity (see SKBF 2010, SKBF 2014).

To ensure the quality of the VPET system at national level, the partners have developed specific guidelines. Job-specific VET ordinances are therefore binding for all VPET institutions, regardless of whether these are private or public institutions. Academic titles and degrees are not awarded at the discretion of the offering institution but have to meet a number of standards in order to gain recognition by the federal government. The advantage here is that the degrees offered by different schools for the same occupation are comparable throughout Switzerland. This in turn helps companies during the recruitment process, as they can rely on the stated abilities of the graduates or candidates. This is a big advantage compared to colleges or schools, where the focus is on autonomy in curricula design, but their curricula are not equivalent throughout Switzerland. The occupation-specific ordinances therefore ensure the graduates’ mobility within the Swiss labour market.

In view of the VPETA and occupation-specific ordinances, the VPET system in Switzerland could appear to be rigid and over-regulated, but this is not actually the case. The framework curricula allows students to be educated in all three places of learning (especially in companies). This is a sign of quality whose still tends to be underestimated to this day and is unique in international comparison. Another aspect relates to the liberal apprenticeship market. Apprenticeship positions are made available on the apprenticeship market. This market is structured like any other market, with companies offering apprenticeship positions and students applying for them. The state does not usually intervene in this market, except when the market needs support in its function. Vocational education and training in Switzerland is therefore market driven. In addition, despite uniform laws and regulations, there are various VET training models available in Switzerland. In the German-speaking part of Switzerland, the dual VET – in which students are trained at the workplace in companies and at vocational schools – is widespread. In the French and Italian-speaking parts of Switzerland, there are also purely school-based VET programmes besides dual VETs due to the proximity to France and Italy. However, both models lead to the same degree. This shows that the strong regulation of the VET system and its flexible application need not be in conflict with each other.