Many people have studied and written about Switzerland’s youth apprenticeship system, and there are good reasons to do so. The Swiss economy has been called the most innovative in the world. Switzerland’s students significantly outperform U.S. students in scholastic achievement. Its youth unemployment rate is lower than ours.
Apprenticeships are not a minor add-on existing on the margins of the Swiss education system. Instead, youth apprenticeship is an integral, fundamental feature of that system—and one with far-reaching, positive effects on Swiss society.
In America, much of a young person’s life trajectory reflects choices made at the end of high school. College—yes or no? Which college? To study what? Under which set of financial conditions? The answers to these questions have a lifelong impact on a person’s work, financial stability, and social class. Given the stakes, these choices are the source of tremendous anxiety for parents and students alike. Swiss youth and their families do not experience the levels of anxiety experienced in the United States.
Two of the characteristics of Switzerland’s educational system stand out as particularly important to Americans hoping to reform our own.
No matter what path a Swiss student embarks upon—going for a college degree or entering one of a number of apprenticeship programs—at the end of the journey, the student will have the opportunity to choose another path, another kind of education and training, and decisions to pursue it will be financially accessible. A registered apprenticeship in the U.S. requires 2,000 hours of on-the-job learning, may take one to two years, and typically results in a job, often in the skilled trades. Swiss apprenticeships span a broader range of industry sectors—including banking and information technology.Swiss apprenticeships typically require four years of training and a high level of technical skill that is agreed upon by industry leaders in a single, national framework. The intensity, length of time, and high level of skill also contribute to the student’s feelings of trust and safety: the apprenticeship path is not a decision to exit postsecondary education and to be less skilled or less prepared to earn a good wage.

Switzerland’s Apprenticeships: Lessons for the U.S. Education System PDF

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