Completing an apprenticeship

Wherever possible, vocational schools offer remedial courses to help apprentices who are having difficulties deepening their understanding of the compulsory subjects. Remedial courses provide time-limited additional tuition to help apprentices catch up on material they may have missed or struggled with at school. These courses may not exceed half a day per week. Those attending remedial courses are generally not allowed to take any optional courses. If the remedial course takes place during working hours, apprentices are permitted to attend up to half a day per week without any deduction in salary.

There are also optional courses available depending on the occupation and vocational school. Apprentices can attend optional courses for a maximum of one half-day per week (e.g. the preparatory course for the vocational baccalaureate after completion of basic education and training (BM2)) if their performance at the company and vocational school is satisfactory. Attendance is permitted without any deduction in salary.

Levelling out disadvantages is granted in the case of learning and performance difficulties such as dyslexia (reading and spelling difficulties) or dyscalculia (difficulties with arithmetic) or in the case of physical disabilities if, despite support measures such as remedial courses, the successful completion of the qualification procedure is called into question.

The application for levelling out disadvantages must be submitted for assessment at the latest at the time of registration and must contain the required evidence or references from specialists (specialist teachers, doctors, etc.).

On completion of the basic education and training, apprentices receive a VET Diploma or a Federal VET Certificate. They are also entitled to receive a certificate from the host company.

The certificate is issued on the basis of the training reports that are prepared periodically and discussed with the apprentice. On the basis of these reports, performance, abilities and behaviour can be determined throughout vocational education and training.

Supplementary references are additional pieces of documentation issued for vocational education and training qualifications. They contain information on the qualification and help employers in Switzerland and abroad to understand which competences are associated with the qualification. The supplementary references also indicate the level at which the qualification is classified in the National Qualifications Framework for Vocational Education and Training (NQR) and the European Qualifications Framework (EQF).

Holders of a Federal Vocational Baccalaureate Certificate can have a certificate supplement issued. Further information can be found at SERI .

Vocational trainers are an important reference in terms of professional practice. This is why it is important to present the apprentice to potential employers honestly but sympathetically and to highlight their strengths.

Vocational trainers can also help apprentices prepare their application documents or motivate them to undertake an internship abroad.

After completing a two-year basic vocational education and training course, an apprentice can embark on a three- or four-year basic vocational education and training course (which may be shortened depending on the occupational field) and work towards achieving the Federal VET Diploma.

Holders of the Federal VET Diploma can:

• Immediately afterwards learn a related occupation through a shortened vocational education and training course,
• Gain a Federal PET Diploma, an Advanced Federal Diploma of Higher Education or a federally recognised diploma from a professional education institution after several years of professional experience at tertiary level,
• Complete the Federal Vocational Baccalaureate, which grants admission to universities of applied sciences without having to take an entrance examination (in some cases, an entrance examination must be passed).

If an apprentice fails an examination and an appeal is possible, the competent cantonal authority notifies them of this in a special letter (or the grade certificate). The apprentice receives the examination result, information on how to retake the examination and any possible legal recourse. The cantonal authority is available to the candidates to answer any questions they may have.

The final examination can be repeated twice. Retakes are typically conducted during the next scheduled examination period. Some vocational schools offer specific preparatory courses for this purpose. Previously passed qualification areas do not have to be repeated, subject to stricter requirements in the respective Vocational Education and Training Ordinance. If desired, the entire examination can also be retaken. In this case, only the grades from the last exam are taken into account, regardless of the result obtained.