CEMETS Summer Institute 2018

A always, the 2018 program was intense, combining elements of theory, practice, and collaborative work on the different countries’ own reform plans. Researchers at the forefront of VET scholarship, including Dr. Ursula Renold from ETH Zurich, Prof. Dr. Uschi Backes-Gellner from the University of Zurich, and Prof. Dr. Stefan Wolter from the University of Bern, shared their knowledge and findings about apprenticeship. Other researchers from ETH Zurich’s KOF Swiss Economic Institute also contributed.

Experienced experts spoke to the group about leading innovative reforms (Noel Ginsburg, Career-Wise Colorado), facilitating Swiss apprenticeship (Christoph Buser, Baselland Chamber of Commerce), leading and representing industry (Valentin Vogt, Confederation of Swiss Employers’ Associations), representing a specific industry (Arthur Glaettli, SwissMEM), providing a platform through which Swiss apprentices find positions (Urs Casty, Yousty), and guiding Swiss youth through their educational transitions (Anskar Roth, Career Guidance and Counseling BIZ Horgen).

In what is always a highlight of the institute, we visited apprentices in action at Swisscom (telecommunications), Migros (retail), Libs (advanced manufacturing) and CYP (banking). The opportunity to hear from apprentices, trainers, and educators is a crucial part of our work and we are very grateful to our generous hosts.

Every team has an ongoing relationship with CEMETS through research, previous projects, or other collaboration. They had been asked to work on their own reform plans previous to the 2018 institute and as a result were well prepared and aware of clear and pressing problems at home that need solving.

Although the summer institute is over, the reform lab program is not. Participants have returned to their own countries where they will implement their reform plans and submit final reports on their progress, challenges, and experiences at the end of October 2018.

CEMETS also continues to follow up and work with alumni for research purposes in order to better understand VET reform implementation. Four cases – Benin, Chile, Costa Rica, and Nepal – are part of the ongoing Research for Development project financed by a Swiss National Science Foundation grant. These cases will be a continuous part of the work of the reform lab for years, enabling implementation research in parallel to the main project’s investigations. The Nepal case includes a number of additional research projects in support of the country’s federalization process.