Vocational education and training (VET)

Vocational education and training (VET) mainly occurs according to the dual system which combines in-company training (practical part) and a vocational school (theoretical part and general education). It can also take place in full-time school in a small number of cases. VET is completed with the Federal VET Certificate after two years or the Federal VET Diploma after three to four years.

Diplomas in basic vocational education and training by training type, change in numbers since 2000
Training type	2000	2005	2010	2015	2018
Total	60 164	59 774	68 154	69 668	69 104
Male	32 128	33 151	37 620	37 835	37 928
Female	28 036	26 623	30 534	31 833	31 176
Federal VET diplomas	50 386	52 183	59 367	63 384	62 596
Male	28 973	29 869	33 180	34 341	34 248
Female	21 413	22 314	26 187	29 043	28 348
Trade Certificates	2 241	2 826	2 897	2	-
Male	913	1 221	1 450	-	-
Female	1 328	1 605	1 447	2	-
Federal VET Certificates	-	94	3 690	5 917	6 440
Male	-	81	1 883	3 243	3 670
Female	-	13	1 807	2 674	2 770
Certificates of Basic Vocational Education	2 081	2 526	1 174	270	-
Male	1 453	1 719	907	222	-
Female	628	807	267	48	-
VET diplomas (other professions)	5 456	2 145	1 026	95	68
Male	789	261	200	29	10
Female	4 667	1 884	826	66	58

Source: FSO – Vocational education and training statistics (SBG-SFPI)
Data as of: April 2019

In 2018, the vocational education and training statistics recorded almost 70 000 successfully-completed diplomas. With 90%, the greatest proportion of diplomas were federal VET diplomas. The federal VET certificates represented almost 10% of qualifications. As recently as 2000, the share of VET diplomas was about 85%; the VET certificates had not been introduced yet. Between 2000 and 2018, the other categories decreased considerably. These changes can be explained by the fact that the Federal Vocational and Professional Education and Training Act (VPETA) has been extended to include the fields of agriculture and healthcare. Furthermore, education at the upper-secondary level trade schools was henceforth completely integrated into the vocational education training, and since 2014 graduates leave with a VET diploma. The decline in the certificates of basic vocational education is due to their gradual replacement by the federal VET certificates.

Almost half of the qualifications in vocational education and training are awarded in the fields of Business and administration (commercial occupations), Wholesale and retail sales, Building and civil engineering, Nursing and midwifery as well as Mechanics and metal trades. Although gender distribution is fairly even for the first two fields, Building and Mechanics and metal trades are clearly male-dominated, whereas Nursing is female-dominated.