Good to know!

The apprenticeship must be found independently. Friends and family, teachers at the orientation school, and vocational counsellors can offer support with this.

Good to know!

It is possible to obtain scholarships or training loans. The Cantonal Commission for Scholarships and Training Loans accepts applications: Many municipalities also provide scholarships and loans. Information can be obtained from the municipal administration.

Additional information

Vocational training & secondary schools

Vocational education and training with prospects

Switzerland is known worldwide for its vocational education. Vocational training takes place in a dual system, at two different learning sites: young people learn their profession at a company as well as attending vocational school one to three days a week. A total of around 250 occupations are accessible through vocational education and training. An apprenticeship of three to four years works towards the Swiss Federal VET Diploma (EFZ). The EFZ allows you to practise a profession and thus gain access to the labour market. The two-year apprenticeships with the Federal VET Certificate (EBA) are intended for young people with mainly practical skills. After an apprenticeship, there are numerous opportunities for further professional development.

Job offers via BIZ App / www.vs.ch
Office for Vocational, Academic and Careers Guidance Upper Valais / www.vs.ch
Swiss information portal / www.berufsberatung.ch
Berufsschaufenster Oberwallis (Upper Valais careers fair) / www.berufsschaufenster.ch

Baccalaureate schools and upper secondary specialised schools

Some occupations require further education at upper secondary level. This is particularly relevant if you plan to study at a university of applied sciences (Fachhochschule), a university, or one of the Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology (ETH/EPF). The baccalaureate school (or gymnasium) is the classic preparation for further education at the tertiary level, for example at a university, one of the Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology, or a more practice-oriented university of applied sciences. The Kollegium Spiritus Sanctus, the only baccalaureate school in German-speaking Valais, is located in Brig-Glis. Together with its sports school, it provides training opportunities for sportsmen and women as well as artists. In French-speaking Valais, there are baccalaureate schools in Sion (the Lycée-Collège des Creusets and the Lycée-Collège de la Planta) and in St-Maurice (Collège de l'Abbaye).

Upper secondary specialised schools (Fachmittelschule) offer general schooling at the upper secondary level. They prepare students for vocational training in specific occupational fields at professional colleges (upper secondary specialised school programme) and universities of applied sciences (specialised Baccalaureate programme). They offer an alternative to the Baccalaureate by providing school-based preparation for higher vocational education, oriented towards a particular vocational field.

General culture school / www.vs.ch
College Spiritus Sanctus à Brig / www.spiritus.ch
Oberwalliser Mittelschule St. Ursula / www.oms-brig.ch
College de la Planta / www.lcplanta.ch
Collège des Creusets / www.creusets.net
Lycée - Collège de l'Abbaye de St.-Maurice / www.lyca.ch