World Economic Forum’s latest Global Competitiveness Report has revealed that Switzerland tops the ranking for skills.
The report states that Switzerland’s performance as outstanding in areas related to human capital.
The country was ranked the best in the world for vocational training, on-the-job training and the employability of its graduates.
Here are a few things Switzerland is doing differently when it comes to skilling its workforce:
According to a 2015 report by the Center for International Education Benchmarking (CIEB), up to 70% of secondary school students take part in its ‘gold-standard’ vocational education training system (VET).
From age 16 onwards, most young people stop full-time education and instead rotates between school and hands-on work experience setting for three to four years, receiving a crucial introduction to the world of work.
The Swiss VET (vocational education and training) system, in which 30% of Swiss companies participate in enables young people to enter the labor market and ensures that there are enough qualified workers and managers in the future. The VET sector is closely correlated with the labor market and is an integral part of the education system.
Because of this focus on vocational training, there’s also less emphasis placed on getting a degree. Compared to Norway and Australia, less than a third of young people under 25 went into tertiary education in 2012.
Image: OECD
Many apprentices who have taken the vocational training route end up with better job prospects than graduates – including senior management positions or higher roles.
In the Global Competitiveness Report, Switzerland was also judged the best for staff training, with many companies recognizing the benefits of professional development.
