The Professional Training of Apprentices at the ETH Zurich

Information for Interested Parties

General

Upon completion of basic schooling in Switzerland (generally 9 years), young people usually continue their education in one of two ways: a) they enter - via examination - a "Gymnasium" (the upper level of the selective secondary school system) followed by study at university or technical college; or b) they start a professional training as an apprentice in a wide variety of professions (see below). The latter represents the way craftsmen, secretaries, and technicians etc. are trained. At ETH Zurich path a), of course, strongly prevails, but about 150 apprentices are educated in different departments along path b) in the professions mentioned below. Their training takes place in compliance with governmental rules or regulations of the professional bodies, depending upon the type of profession.

Most of the apprentices are between 16 and 18 years old when they start their training at the ETH  Zurich(end of August), about one fifth is slightly older (between 19 and 25 years of age). The duration of the apprenticeship varies between 3 and 4 years and all training schemes are recognised on a federal level.

The following professions can be learned at the ETH Zurich:

This pages are available in German only

Organisation, Responsibilities

A regulation approved by the Executive Board of ETH ("Schulleitung") on 14 December 1999 defines the aims, organisation and financial resources for the professional training of apprentices (PTA) at ETH Zurich.

The executive in charge of the PTA (Mr. Schorno) assumes the functions of general administration, organisation and coordination. In addition, he organises introductory, as well as more advanced courses. He gets support from a commission ("BAKO") which is responsible for the strategy to be followed within the PTA. This commission consists of approx. 10 professionals, active in different professions and positions at ETH Zurich, and two apprentices. It is elected for two years by the Vice-President for Planning and Logistics.

Recruitment, Selection, Contract ("Lehrvertrag")

The demand for new apprentices in the different institutes and laboratories is evaluated by the designated person within the respective institute ca. 1 year in advance, after having consulted the BAKO. The selection of the applicants is performed during October by the same person, possibly together with a professional instructor. The working contracts for the successful candidates are applied for at the executive in charge of the PTA in November and are later ratified by the applicant, the personnel department of ETH, the head of the institute and by the canton’s office for PTA.

Finances, Positions

The salaries of the apprentices and the number of positions are granted by ETH’s Executive Board through a global PTA-budget allocated each year. The same holds for the maintenance of the existing PTA-infrastructure, such as the teaching laboratories and workshops, as well as for the salaries of the professional instructors. Therefore, these issues do not burden other budgets, nor do they affect the number of positions allocated to the chairs, institutes and departments involved.

Masters, Instructors

Each ETH-unit that instructs apprentices has one or more persons who act as masters in the legal sense, meaning they possess the required qualifications dictated by federal laws. In many cases they are supported in the everyday-instruction of technical skills by assistants or PhD students who do not need to have these qualifications but should, however, have German as a mother tongue or at least speak it fluently. In the apprenticeships leading to technical professions, the education of the apprentices also includes special courses in teaching laboratories or workshops. These are led by professional instructors to ensure that all apprentices have the same level of instruction in the subjects that are relevant for the final practical examination, This exam takes place about 4 months before the end of the training. For the administrative/secretarial professions, the education of the apprentices operates on the basis of 6-month job-rotation system.

Trade School, Berufsmittelschule (BMS)

All apprentices have to attend the respective technical school (1-2 days per week, depending on the chosen profession) in the canton of Zurich. In addition, they can attend the higher level "Berufsmittelschule (BMS)" on an optional basis. The BMS certificate allows them access to engineering schools or business schools after finishing their professional training.

Sources of Information

Executive in charge of the PTA at ETH Zurich:
Mr. Dieter Schorno, Turnerstrasse 1 E15, ETH Zurich, campus Center
Tel. +41 44 632 20 47, e-mail: schorno@pa.ethz.ch

President of the BAKO:
Mr. Andreas Dutly, HCI D 123, ETH Zurich, campus Hoenggerberg,
Tel. +41 44 632 31 09, e-mail: dutly@chem.ethz.ch

A manual ("Leitfaden") contains information about how to set conditions of work, provides answers to some legal issues such as duration of holidays, accident policy, illness, contract conditions, etc. It can be ordered from Mr. D. Schorno.