Tertiary level - Professional education

In 2023, 29 612 diplomas were awarded in the field of professional education. Federal diplomas of higher education accounted for more than half of them (16 063 qualifications). Next came colleges of higher education diplomas (10 583 qualifications), advanced federal diplomas of higher education (2 627 qualifications) and diplomas from professional education not governed by the VPETA (339 qualifications).

Professional education diplomas, change in numbers since 2000

Training type	2000	2010	2015	2020	2023
Total	22 633	26 789	26 440	25 655	29 612
Male	14 387	15 164	15 723	14 589	16 380
Female	8 246	11 625	10 717	11 066	13 232
Colleges of higher eduction diplomas (advanced federal diploma of higher education)	3 249	7 337	8 446	9 860	10 583
Male	2 414	3 774	4 390	4 896	5 229
Female	835	3 563	4 056	4 964	5 354
Advanced federal diplomas of higher education	3 316	3 167	2 707	2 538	2 627
Male	2 826	2 505	2 039	1 844	1 702
Female	490	662	668	694	925
Federal diplomas of higher education	8 932	13 137	14 835	13 012	16 063
Male	5 795	8 028	9 178	7 768	9 315
Female	3 137	5 109	5 657	5 244	6 748
Diplomas from professional education not governed by the VPETA1	7 136	3 148	452	245	339
Male	3 352	857	116	81	134
Female	3 784	2 291	336	164	205

1 VPETA: vocational and professional education and training act Source: FSO – Statistics on certificates (SBA)
Data as of: June 2024

Professional education allows people who have completed upper secondary education to deepen or widen their knowledge. It consists of several study paths: colleges of higher education, preparation for the federal or the advanced federal professional diploma examinations governed by the Vocational and Professional Education and Training Act (VPETA) and professional education courses not regulated by this act.

The number of professional education diplomas awarded has increased by about 30% in the past 25 years. Great differences among the types of training can be seen not only with regard to diplomas but also in terms of gender distribution. Whereas the advanced diplomas of higher education continued to show the lowest proportion of women in 2023 (approximately 35%), the largest percentage of women (nearly 60%) can be found in professional education not governed at the federal level. The share of women at colleges of higher education doubled between 2000 and 2023, due in particular to the recognition of the study courses in the area of health as colleges of higher education.

The individual types of training were affected differently by trends in professional education diplomas. The number of colleges of higher education diplomas almost tripled in the period 2000-2023. For federal diplomas of higher education, an increase of approximately 80% can be observed for the same period, whereas the advanced federal diplomas of higher education stagnated at a relatively low level. The number of diplomas from professional education not regulated at federal level shrank in the period under observation by nearly 95%. The massive decline of this training type can be explained in particular by the fact that since 2005, many study courses at specialised schools in the field of health received federal recognition as colleges of higher education. This also goes some way in explaining the large increase in diplomas from these colleges.

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Students - Advanced professional education and training (PET)

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