MIL OSI Translation. Government of the Republic of France statements from French to English –
Source: Switzerland – Department of Foreign Affairs in French
Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research
Bern, 21.11.2023 – Representatives of the Confederation, cantons and social partners have paved the way for the development of a project which will be put out for consultation on the strengthening of higher professional training through the protection of the appellation “higher school” and the introduction of the complementary titles “Professional Bachelor” and “Professional Master”. This decision was at the center of the National Vocational Training Summit on November 20, 2023.
In recent years, there have been intense discussions about how to strengthen colleges and higher professional education as a whole. It is in this sense that after the 2022 Vocational Training Summit, the State Secretariat for Training, Research and Innovation (SERI) developed a package of measures in collaboration with the partners of vocational training and the stakeholders concerned in the fields of vocational training and higher education institutions. After examining the different variants, it was proposed to introduce the additional titles “Professional Bachelor” and “Professional Master” and to protect the name “ES higher school”. According to this proposal, ES diplomas and federal professional exams will be given the additional title “Professional Bachelor” and higher federal professional exams will be given the additional title “Professional Master”. The tertiary nature of the diplomas concerned will thus be highlighted, which will contribute to the recognition of higher professional training in public opinion. The additional titles do not entail any change in the rules in force regarding admission to studies at a higher education institution or the taking into account of prior learning, for example.
In addition to strengthening qualifications, it is important to ensure that graduate schools gain visibility as institutions. A right to the name remains to be included in the law, so that only providers of ES training courses can in the future bear the name “ES higher school”. The introduction of additional titles and a right to the appellation requires a partial revision of the federal law on professional training (LFPr). As part of the revision, other topics are also to be examined in the area of higher professional education, including the possibility of organizing federal examinations in a decentralized manner, including in English and online. The consultation procedure concerning the partial revision of the LFPr will be launched at the latest in the third quarter of 2024. Parliamentary debates will probably follow in 2025. Entry into force of the measures is targeted for early 2026 at the latest.
Participants at the national summit also learned about the progress of work relating to the declaration of commitment “Professional certification for adults”, another point which appeared on the day’s program. The Confederation, the cantons and the social partners declare themselves ready to further strengthen the framework conditions so that a greater number of adults obtain professional certification, a way of guarding against the risks of unemployment and job insecurity. job. Each year, some 66,000 people, including 11,000 adults over the age of 25, obtain an initial vocational training qualification in Switzerland. In this context, an inventory of the recognition of foreign diplomas is also part of the current measures.
Furthermore, participants in the national summit read the final report on the project “Optimization of processes and incentive mechanisms in vocational training”. In recent months, vocational training partners have carried out a careful examination of the professional development process and a study on the flows and financing mechanisms of inter-company courses has been commissioned. The results are being processed within the responsible bodies. The Tripartite Vocational Training Conference monitors developments and can, if necessary, launch new projects.
The national summit chaired by the federal councilor in charge of training Guy Parmelin brought together representatives of the Conference of cantonal directors of public education, the Swiss Conference of professional training offices, the Swiss Employers’ Union , the Swiss Union of Arts and Crafts, the Swiss Trade Union, Travail.Suisse and SERI.
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Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Researchhttp://www.wbf.admin.ch
EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is a translation. Apologies should the grammar and/or sentence structure not be perfect.
