In Switzerland, about 70 percent of high school students participate in apprenticeships—a model often cited as a global example, including for the United States. In this episode of the FutureU podcast, hosts Michael Horn and Jeff Selingo speak with Katie Caves, director of the Center on the Economics and Management of Education and Training Systems and a senior researcher based in Zurich, to explore what the U.S. can learn from Switzerland’s apprenticeship approach.
While U.S. high schools tend to emphasize college preparation, Swiss high schools are centered around apprenticeships. Instead of spending all week in traditional academic classes, Swiss students often split their time between school and hands-on work at a company. For Katie, one of the most distinctive features of the Swiss system is its “permeability”—the flexibility for students to move between vocational and academic pathways. In contrast to the U.S., where a four-year college degree is often viewed as the default marker of success, Switzerland offers multiple routes to professional and academic achievement.
Still, Katie cautions against copying the Swiss model wholesale: “…focus on things that you can actually do, and then you can figure out how to do them in your own country.”