Higher vocational education: What is new?
 |  | With the revision of the federal constitution of 18 April 1999 (article 63), the legal responsibility for vocational education was transferred to the Confederation. All occupations outside of the remit of the universities have been incorporated under a uniform system, enabling direct comparisons to be made. This was initiated by the "Federal law on vocational education (Berufsbildungsgesetz, BBG) of 13 December 2002. |
New law on vocational education
The revision of the vocational education law offers new, differentiated ways for vocational education and supports the flexibility of the vocational education system. The new law that was introduced on 1 January 2004 includes the professions of agriculture and forestry, which were previously governed by other regulations. Healthcare, social work and arts regulated, previously regulated by the cantons, now also come under federal responsibility.
Curricula of the higher specialist schools
The ordinance of EDV on minimum regulations for the recognition of educational courses and post diploma studies of higher specialist schools" of 11 March 2005 governs the conditions under which courses and post-diploma studies at higher specialist schools are recognised by the Confederation. A new part is that all educational courses are based on the overall Swiss curriculum developed by the education providers in collaboration with organisations from the professional world. The Federal Office for Professional Education and Technology (OPET) has approved this curriculum on application by the Federal Commission for Higher Specialist Schools. The curriculum governs the occupational profiles, the competences that must be achieved, the titles awarded, the fields of education and the time apportioned to each of them.
The revision of the vocational education law offers new, differentiated ways for vocational education and supports the flexibility of the vocational education system. The new law that was introduced on 1 January 2004 includes the professions of agriculture and forestry, which were previously governed by other regulations. Healthcare, social work and arts regulated, previously regulated by the cantons, now also come under federal responsibility.
Curricula of the higher specialist schools
The ordinance of EDV on minimum regulations for the recognition of educational courses and post diploma studies of higher specialist schools" of 11 March 2005 governs the conditions under which courses and post-diploma studies at higher specialist schools are recognised by the Confederation. A new part is that all educational courses are based on the overall Swiss curriculum developed by the education providers in collaboration with organisations from the professional world. The Federal Office for Professional Education and Technology (OPET) has approved this curriculum on application by the Federal Commission for Higher Specialist Schools. The curriculum governs the occupational profiles, the competences that must be achieved, the titles awarded, the fields of education and the time apportioned to each of them.
