Trainer Marcel Wachter with an apprentice in the mechanical training workshop.
Vocational education and training has a long tradition at our university. It is incorporated in ETH’s fundamental mission and forms a central part of the university’s strategic objectives. “Here in Switzerland, we have a unique dual education system. ETH wants to contribute to this and help young people gain access to the job market, not just through academic training, but also through a strong vocational education. The interplay between science and specialist training is extremely important to ETH,” stresses Director of HR Lukas Vonesch. ETH has been training professionals for over 20 years. During this time, the number and focus of the different trades on offer has changed dramatically. The number of apprenticeships has almost doubled in the last 15 years and currently stands at around 170 places. “Our focus in the coming years, however, will be on enhancing the quality of what we offer rather than on increasing the number of placements available,” says Fabienne Jaquet, Director of Vocational Education and Training at ETH Zurich. “We intend to maintain the variety of trades on offer while continually improving the quality of the training. We also want to improve the basic conditions for our trainees, spread the word about the apprenticeships on offer at ETH and attract more women to enter into technical professions.”
Next steps
ETH does not train professionals to meet its own staffing needs. It is important that graduates gather experience in other fields outside of the university and expand their specialist knowledge, says Director of HR Vonesch. The training they receive at ETH often serves as a springboard and the young professionals might decide to pursue a further course of study, for example, at a university of applied sciences. However, according to Vonesch, there is always the possibility that trainees might return to employment at ETH at some point in the future.
Both Eichenberger and Bott already have plans for the future. Sarah will complete her training this summer after three years of hard work. Alongside her apprenticeship, she is also attending a four-year course to prepare for her federal vocational baccalaureate exams, so it will take another year before she obtains her federal vocational baccalaureate. Until then, she is considering working at ETH on a temporary basis. She also wishes to take the University Aptitude Test (known in Switzerland as the
Passerelle
) so that she can continue her studies further – though she isn’t sure yet whether or not this will be in the field of chemistry.
After completing his studies, Bott wants to train as a mechanical engineering technician at a college of higher education. “I like being in the workshop, but I also love interacting with customers. I can picture myself as a project manager someday, acting as a kind of intermediary between the design office and the workshop.”
Many trainees also maintain close ties with ETH after completing their apprenticeships – for example, as members of the association of former apprentices. Some even return years later to visit the place where they learned their craft to talk about the careers they have pursued since completing their training. Who knows – perhaps one day Maximilian and Sarah will come back and share with us the direction their careers have taken them.
