This summer, compulsory schooling came to an end for nearly 100,000 young people in Switzerland. Around two-thirds of them have begun an apprenticeship, while nearly a quarter have enrolled in a college-preparatory high school. Both groups are starting out in uncertain times: artificial intelligence is transforming the labor market. So how well prepared is Switzerland for this technological upheaval?
Perhaps surprisingly well. One reason is the very architecture of its education system. Having two established pathways, vocational education and the academic route, is a luxury. Rather than funneling everyone through the same type of education, Switzerland offers different options through these two routes. Under uncertainty, this is a smart strategy. No one knows which skills tomorrow’s labor market will require. A system that trains everyone in the same way risks missing the labor market’s needs entirely.
But which of the two pathways has the advantage amid technological change? For a long time, the answer was clear: in the long run, the academic route. Occupation-specific skills, such as using particular software operating particular machines, were thought to age less well: technological progress was more likely to overtake them. Workers with a broad base of general knowledge and skills were therefore considered better equipped for change.
Whether this equation still holds in the age of AI is open to question. Artificial intelligence is the first technology capable not only of supporting cognitive tasks such as writing, researching, and programming, but also of replacing them. How this will affect the labor market in the months and years ahead remains uncertain. At present, however, unemployment is particularly high among those seeking entry-level positions in office and knowledge-based professions, including administration, finance, IT, and marketing.
Vocational education also has important systemic strengths in the age of AI. Most apprentices train with an employer and gain work experience from the outset. This makes their transition into the labor market easier than that of university graduates. And even if some of the skills acquired during an apprenticeship prove less durable over time, no one can take that practical experience away from them. Discipline, responsibility, and teamwork remain valuable. Soft skills like these remain in demand.
Of course, many university students also gain work experience while studying. But in an apprenticeship, that experience is built directly into the system.
At the same time, the close ties between vocational education and the economy make it highly adaptable. Industry associations and companies help shape the training content and can respond comparatively quickly to changing needs. In recent years, several new apprenticeships have been introduced, including “solar installer” and “digital business developer.” In the age of AI, this capacity for rapid adaptation is particularly important.
That said, vocational education is unlikely to emerge completely unscathed. Some apprenticeship programs have considerable automation potential – take the commercial apprenticeship (“KV”), the most popular apprenticeship in Switzerland. More hands-on occupations such as painting, baking, and hairdressing have so far been less affected. That is unlikely to change until robotics and AI make another major leap.
No one knows with certainty how either the vocational or the academic pathway will fare in the age of AI. That is precisely why Switzerland’s real strength lies not in one route or the other, but in the choice between them – and the ability to move from one to the other. Someone who completes an apprenticeship can later attend university. Someone who has studied at university can later pursue higher vocational education. No choice is a dead end. Instead, workers can continue to adapt throughout their lives according to their individual needs. In times of disruption, that flexibility is crucial.
The question “college-preparatory high school or apprenticeship?” is therefore less consequential than it often seems. Those who push children toward the academic track at all costs should keep in mind: There is good reason to believe that the vocational route may prepare young people at least as well for the future. And thanks to the flexibility of the Swiss education system, young people can enter the next phase of their lives with confidence, whichever route they choose.
This article was first published in German as a guest commentary in the “CH Media” newspapers.
