Section two: International benchmarking

Country: Switzerland 

Apprenticeship system: 

This type of training is delivered at the workplace and at the Centre d’ Apprentissage. Young people from the age of 16 years can join an apprenticeship programme which lasts for three years. 

Switzerland’s apprenticeship system is often held up as the ‘gold standard’ in vocational training internationally. It combines learning on the job, and being paid a learning wage, with one to two days of theory at a vocational school. In total, 70% of 15–16-year-olds opt for an apprenticeship route. The alternative is academic high school which prepares students for university.   

There is an excellent relationship between the Centre d’ Apprentissage and employers. Each apprentice is paid a basic salary of CHF 1,080 per month which means the employers do not have to pay any wages to the apprentices. Apprentices spend one day per week at the training centre in the first year followed by one week every six months over the next two years. There is a slight increase in wages to CHF 1,100 per month in the second year followed by CHF 1,300 per month in the final year of their apprenticeship.  

Country: France 

There are two main routes to Vocational Education and Training:  

1. Apprenticeship System: This type of training is delivered at the workplace and at the Centre d’ Apprentissage. Young people from the age of 15 years can join an apprenticeship programme which leads to CAP (Certificat d ’aptitude professionelle) for the first two years followed by BP (Brevet professionelle) which also lasts for two years.

2. Full- Time Education and Training at the Lycees: This is a full-time education and training programme which can last for five years.  The BAC (Baccalaureate) lasts for three years (15/16 to 18/19 years) and is equivalent to a Level 3 in UK. The BTS (Brevet Technicien Superieur) lasts for two years (18/19 to 20/21 years) which is the equivalent to a Level 5 in the UK.   

The French are very classical in their approach as far as hospitality and catering is concerned, particularly in the areas of Cooking, Restaurant Service, Patisserie & Confectionery, Bakery, Butchery and Charcutier.  

 There are marketing managers in each Centre whose job it is to link local schools and employers together. At present there are over 1,000 apprentices being trained by CIFA. 

There are regular training opportunities provided for educators and trainers to carry out commercial and industrial updating sessions in the hospitality and catering industry.  

The biggest challenge all over Europe is attracting sufficient young people to join the hospitality and catering professions. 

In Switzerland, the TVET system is totally embedded with very close co-operation between industry and the Apprenticeship Training Centre.  

Most of the training takes place at the students place of employment. This works very well because the industry standards are very high.   

In France, there is an excellent relationship between the Centre d’ Apprentissage and employers. Each apprentice is paid a basic salary of 500 Euro per month which means the employers do not have to pay any wages to the apprentices. Apprentices spend one week a month for the first two years at the Centre. At the end they receive a CAP Qualification.  

Country: Switzerland 

Country: France 

In Switzerland, the focus is totally on WorldSkills competitions. At present, they do not participate in EuroSkills in this skill. The selection process is very similar to our UK System of organising local, regional and national competitions but this is done on alternate years. This makes it possible for their current students to visit WorldSkills and experience the atmosphere and the buzz. The training of individuals only takes place at the National Apprenticeship Training Centres which are all Centres of Excellence. In addition, they have identical training facilities which students will experience when they are selected to represent Switzerland at WorldSkills level. 

In France, National Finals are held in alternate years. The students achieving Gold, Silver and Bronze are shortlisted for further training. Individuals achieving Gold Medals are selected for the WorldSkills Competition, the Silver Medallist is selected for EuroSkills and the Bronze Medallist is a reserve candidate for either WorldSkills or EuroSkills. 

The training centre is centralised for all hospitality and catering competitors to train at the same time at their Centre of Excellence. There is a lot more time and funding allocated for the training of individuals. 

Students preparing to participate in WorldSkills Competitions are allocated five different specialist trainers who are each responsible for a certain aspect of the modules that will be assessed during the competition such as Bar and Cocktail, Barista Coffee and Fine Dining Specialist. This means that the student is receiving the highest level of training in all aspects of the WorldSkills Occupational Standard.  This approach historically will result in Chinese Taipei achieving the International Standards of Excellence at every international competition.