Apprenticeship and baccalaureate examinations in Switzerland: full steam ahead!

As a precautionary measure, the Federal Council has issued exemptions in the event that examinations can only be conducted in written or oral form at school

As far as possible, the baccalaureate and final examinations for apprenticeships will be held regularly in Switzerland in 2021, despite the pandemic.
In order to deal with the event that the epidemiological situation should not allow for the regular conduct of examinations at the national or regional level despite compliance with the protective plans, the Federal Council issued the necessary precautionary exemptions on 12 March 2021.

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The coronavirus will also be present in Switzerland in the coming months. Since its development can only be predicted to a limited extent, it is important to be able to adapt to changes quickly and flexibly.
In view of this situation and on the basis of last year’s experiences, the Federal Council intends to ensure effective management of the various tests in 2021.
The Swiss Confederation has therefore coordinated the process with the Swiss Conference of Cantonal Ministers of Education (EDK) and other partners at an early stage.

Baccalaureate examinations: legal certainty for all those involved

The Federal Council has issued special regulations for the cantonal baccalaureate examinations, the supplementary “passerelle” examination, the Swiss baccalaureate examination and the cantonal vocational baccalaureate examinations in the event that the epidemiological situation in 2021 does not allow the examinations to be conducted in accordance with the current legal provisions.
The ordinances on the cantonal baccalaureate examinations and the supplementary “passerelle” examination are in line with the decision of the EDK Plenary Assembly of 3 February 2021, which is based on the recommendations of the Swiss Baccalaureate Commission.
The regulation of the Swiss Baccalaureate Examination and the Cantonal Baccalaureate Examinations 2021 is the exclusive responsibility of the Federal Council.

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All ordinances regulate possible exceptions to the regular conduct of examinations if they cannot take place for imperative reasons of health policy.
For example, the procedure and the weighting of notes are regulated in cases where examinations can only be conducted in written (or oral) form, thus ensuring legal certainty for all those involved, i.e. candidates, schools and authorities.
In line with this procedure, the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SFERI) has regulated the conduct of the Federal Vocational Baccalaureate Examination which, as far as possible, will be organised in accordance with current law.

Qualification in VET/PET

The basis for the qualification process in VET/PET 2021 was developed by the “Apprenticeship Perspectives” task force, in which the Confederation, the cantons and professional organisations are represented.
The three partners will ensure, as far as possible, that despite the pandemic, the qualification procedures will be carried out in all cantons in the normal way.
In order to deal with the event that the epidemiological situation requires a deviation from existing law, the SEFRI has issued special regulations for qualification procedures for basic vocational training.

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The ordinances lay the foundations so that in autumn 2021 people with a secondary II level qualification will be able to continue their studies at the tertiary level regardless of the educational path they have taken (traditional or vocational).
In addition, trainees will be able to obtain a fully valid qualification that is usable on the labour market, which will increase their employment opportunities and guarantee them long-term employment prospects.
All ordinances come into force on April 1, 2021 and take effect until the end of the year.

The Swiss educational system (Italian)