2.4 million franc grant for vocational education and training research

Switzerland is proud of its vocational education and training system, yet it faces major upheavals: solutions must be found to challenges such as the skills shortage, the digital and green transformation of the economy, and migration. The large-scale GOVPET (Governance in Vocational and Professional Education and Training) project, funded by SERI, has been examining the governance of collectively organised vocational education and training systems since 2015. Led by Prof. Dr Patrick Emmenegger from the School of Economics and Political Sciences at the University of St.Gallen (HSG) and Prof. Dr Giuliano Bonoli from the University of Lausanne, the project examines the key question of how the state, associations and companies can collaborate in the face of current challenges to ensure that the skilled workers trained are precisely those needed by the market.

New research priorities

Following the first two project phases, which have already been completed, GOVPET is launching its third five-year research phase this summer, examining the following key questions:

• The new role of adult education: In light of the skills shortage, the project is investigating how continuing education and reskilling programmes must be designed to cope with technological change. A particular focus is on the question of how accessible these programmes are to people who have previously been less engaged with education.
• The appeal of vocational training: This project examines the perception of vocational education and training among the general public. Using international comparisons and surveys, the researchers aim to determine how the standing of vocational training can be enhanced relative to academic pathways.
• Governance of the “Twin Transition”: What political strategies are different countries pursuing to impart skills for digital and ecological change? The project also analyses what exactly is meant by terms such as ‘green skills’ and how these ideas are gaining political traction.
• Reaction of associations and companies to change: The project examines how professional associations and companies in Switzerland are responding to the challenges of digitalisation and sustainability. The researchers analyse how training content is adapted and how cooperation between the state and the private sector functions in times of crisis.
• Making skills visible: This project focuses on the recognition of qualifications already acquired, particularly by migrants or through informal learning. The aim is to understand how institutions manage these processes to make the system more inclusive.
• Alternative certificates: To respond quickly to new market demands, short learning modules and certificates are gaining in importance. In an experiment involving real employers in Switzerland and Ireland, the researchers are investigating how highly such “microcredentials” are actually valued in the labour market.

Vocational training still struggles with low prestige

During the first two phases of GOVPET, which ran from 2015 to 2026, research was conducted, among other things, into how vocational training could be made more attractive for both trainees and training companies. “We were able to see, for example, that many people still regard general education as being of higher value than vocational education, even though the latter is perceived as better preparation for the labour market,” says Prof. Dr Patrick Emmenegger. “However, we were also able to demonstrate how the permeability of the education system – for instance through the vocational baccalaureate and universities of applied sciences – has increased the attractiveness of vocational education.” The findings from GOVPET are being incorporated into the policy-making process for shaping the future vocational education and training system not only in Switzerland but also in many other countries and international organisations such as the EU and the OECD. The third phase of GOVPET is being funded by SERI with a grant of CHF 2.4 million. This brings the total budget across all three project phases to CHF 7.5 million.