SFIVET in the midst of a transformation process
Dear reader,
A few years ago, SFIVET began a transformation process that reflects changes taking place in our society. SFIVET is mainly active in five areas, all closely related to skills development: basic training, continuing training, the development of occupations, research and development and finally international cooperation. No other VET institution in Switzerland has such a nationwide presence, allowing it to create synergies between a large variety of sectors. This is a great asset to our country and to the education system in general and deserves to be highlighted as such.
In Switzerland, two-thirds of all young people coming out of compulsory education choose to enrol in an upper-secondary level VET programme. This explains the low level of youth unemployment in our country and is one of the reasons for the quality of the education and training provided. A few years ago, Switzerland introduced the possibility for holders of the Federal VET Diploma to obtain an additional qualification, the Federal Vocational Baccalaureate, which allows them to enrol in Bachelor’s degree programmes at Swiss universities of applied sciences.
With such profound changes taking place, we decided that it was time for SFIVET to achieve higher education status as a Swiss university of teacher education, thereby placing ourselves under the scope of the Higher Education Act. We also decided to introduce a new Bachelor’s degree programme focussing mainly on digitalisation and intended for teachers, managers and government officials. We must keep in mind that one of SFIVET’s key characteristics lies in its close ties with the Swiss economy. At the same time, we have embraced the digital revolution in the various training courses that will be offered to vocational school teachers and workplace trainers in the future. With change becoming the only real constant, even greater importance will be given to continuing training courses.
We wish to express our deep gratitude to SFIVET staff, without whom none of these transformations would be possible. They are the true drivers of our institution’s reputation.
Dr. Philippe Gnaegi, SFIVET Board Chairman