Sino-Swiss VPET Alliance in China

INTRO

Vocational and Professional Education and Training (VPET) has been high on the agenda of bilateral Sino-Swiss cooperation for many years. On the one hand, it is in the interest of Switzerland and its exporting companies to share best practices and to make its excellence-driven system widely known and recognized. On the other hand, VPET is high on the education agenda of China, as the country is looking to strengthen skills development and reduce youth unemployment. As a result, SwissCham and Science Technology and Education Office at the Swiss Embassy joined forces to launch the Sino-Swiss VPET Alliance in China in 2023.

The Swiss VPET system

The Swiss VPET system is closely tied to the labor market. Students gain real-world experience through paid apprenticeships. The system connects companies and schools, allowing for shared talent development costs. The Swiss government oversees a nationwide apprenticeship market, matching students with host companies. VPET consists of upper-secondary level vocational education and training (VET) and tertiary-level professional education, supplying Swiss companies with skilled talent annually.

In Switzerland, roughly two-thirds of young people choose vocational education and training (VET), which provides a strong foundation in a specific occupation. VET programs follow a dual-track approach, combining part-time classroom instruction at a vocational school with part-time workplace training at a host company. Professional education at the tertiary level also involves a combination of classroom instruction and work-based training.

VPET Alliance

The Sino-Swiss VPET Alliance in China is a collaboration between SwissCham and Science Technology and Education Office at the Swiss Embassy. The Alliance assembles representatives of Swiss companies in China, who contribute towards skills-based training in China by offering VPET services of their own. The founding members of the VPET Alliance are ABB, CieCAS, EHL, Georg Fischer GF, Novartis, Schindler, and Sika. These companies are highly invested into the Chinese market, they are contributing to the development of skills in China and have brought Swiss-style VPET to China, adapted to local conditions.

SwissCham and the Swissnex network pursue their objectives with the VPET Alliance through:

VPET Roadshows to help Swiss companies increase the visibility of their skills-based training to local policymakers and educational stakeholders.
Our White Paper analyses the Swiss and Chinese VPET system and takes stock of Swiss Companies’ projects and their needs to grow and scale.
Initiating and moderating discussions among the Alliance members in order to identify common synergies and joint initiatives aimed at strengthening knowledge exchange and organizing roadshows.

White Paper

2024 China-Switzerland White Paper on Vocational Education

Read it here

Roadshow & other activities

Launch of the 2024 China-Switzerland White Paper on Vocational Education

We’re excited to announce the official release of the 2024 China-Switzerland White Paper on Vocational Education, an overview of the collaboration between Swiss and Chinese in vocational and professional education and training (VPET).
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New stop in Dongguan for the VPET alliance to exchange with local institutions

The VPET (Vocational and Professional Education and Training) Roadshow in Dongguan aimed to connect Swiss companies offering skill-based training with local institutions and manufacturing companies. Swiss companies showcased their ongoing VPET projects, and discussions on common challenges in skill-based training were held.
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2023 Sino-Swiss Vocational & Professional Education & Training Cooperation Forum

In collaboration with the Consulate of Switzerland in Guangzhou, we successfully organized another VPET event in Xiamen. We were delighted to welcome our company partners such as CieCAS, Sika, ABB, SGS, Schindler Group, as well as esteemed universities and schools to participate in the panel discussions. During the event, we had the opportunity to connect with new partners who will be joining us for the second edition of the VPET white paper.
Sino-Swiss VPET Summit

After visiting Shanghai, Beijing, and Chengdu, the VPET Roadshow made its way to Chongqing for the "Sino-Swiss VPET Summit" on August 29, 2023. The Roadshow, organized by the Science, Technology, and Education Section of the Embassy of Switzerland in China in collaboration with SwissCham and its VPET Alliance, featured the Swiss VPET exhibition, keynote speeches, presentations, sharing of best practices, and a panel discussion followed by a Q&A session. The summit, held at the SinoSwiss Technopark in Chongqing, saw the participation of over 50 members and friends of SwissCham, company representatives, government officials, and educational institutions, who actively engaged in an enriching exchange.
The 4th Exchange Event on Sino-European Cooperation for Vocational Education and Training

Skills-based education and training are significant areas of focus in South-West China. During the 4th Exchange Event on Sino-European Cooperation for Vocational Education and Training held in Chengdu, SwissCham China, Swissnex, and the Swiss Embassy together with Swiss companies introduced Swiss-inspired, skills-based training programs in China. These companies actively participated in discussions centered around digitalization, internationalization, and the importance of skills-based education.
VPET exhibition at China Annual Conference of International Education

Highlighting the four key features of the Swiss VPET – market correlation, prestige, permeability, cost efficiency – the exhibition also showcases the various VPET-related public-private partnerships as well as institutional collaborations. The exhibition, which has already been presented at three major events in Shanghai and Beijing, has sparked discussions and enabled new contacts between Chinese and Swiss educational, governmental and corporate stakeholders.
WorldSkills 2022: Interview with Simona Gier and Wanqing Ouyang

WorldSkills 2022 contestants Simona Gier (Swiss) and Wanqing Ouyang (Chinese) competed side-by-side in Aarau, Switzerland in the Graphic Design Technology category, and were both bestowed the Medaillion for Excellence. Learn about their VET background, aspirations and memorable souvenirs from their time spent together in this interview by the Embassy of Switzerland in Beijing and Swissnex in China.
Watch the interview
VPET exhibition at So-Swiss Pop-up House of Switzerland

We were also collaborate on the Education Day at the So Swiss! Pop-up together with the Consulate General of Switzerland in Shanghai and SwissCham Shanghai. At the Education Day, our CEO Philippe Roesle explored the opportunities and challenges of implementing VPET in China with other panelists, and introducing Swiss VPET excellence with an exhibition from the Science Office of the Embassy of Switzerland in China.
Together with SwissCham China, a national VPET Alliance was launched.

The STE Office kickstarted an initial VPET dialogue among Swiss companies. This dialogue has matured into a national SwissCham VPET Alliance under the chairmanship of the STE Office. Announced at the Sino-Swiss Economic Forum in January 2023, the Alliance will work with Swiss companies to share best practices and jointly address any challenges. By pooling knowledge and expertise, Swiss companies can play a crucial role in strengthening both their talent pool and systemic vocational training in China.