Two waves of academisation of VET in Switzerland: Threat or way forward?

In the development of the Swiss vocational education and training (VET) system we can observe a trend towards ‘academisation’, based on two movements: on the one hand, an expansion of general knowledge and non-vocational content, and on the other hand, a structural rapprochement of VET streams with higher education. In the 1960s and 1970s, a stronger orientation towards more academic knowledge was seen as necessary to keep VET attractive to intelligent learners. In addition, the opening of pathways to more technical expertise and career paths in higher education was promoted and strengthened in the 1990s in order to cope with technological and economic changes.

The article reconstructs two waves of this academisation, first in the 1970s in terms of content, and then in the 1990s in terms of structures. These two waves led to a successful positioning of VET by creating an institutional transition from VET to higher education. However, academisation as a process remains ambiguous, as it could be seen as a way forward, but also as a threat to the extent that VET weakens its core profile.