Guidance System in Switzerland

Overview

The Swiss career guidance system supports individuals at various stages of their educational and professional journey. It aims to facilitate well-informed decision-making, lifelong learning, and successful career development.

Policy

In Switzerland, responsibility for guidance lies with the cantons. The Swiss Conference of Cantonal Ministers of Education (EDK) ensures national coherence through specialist conferences such as the Swiss Conference of Vocational Education and Training Offices (SBBK) and the Swiss Conference for Vocational, Academic and Career Guidance (SK BSLB). While coordination takes place at the national level, cantons retain flexibility to adapt services to their linguistic and regional needs.

National strategy

The SK BSLB has developed a national strategy to enhance the effectiveness of guidance services in order to improve equal opportunities in education and employment for the Swiss population. It focuses on key areas such as target group support, self-information tools, service organisation, communication, and research and development.

Swiss Service Centre SDBB

The Swiss Service Centre for Vocational Education and Training I Vocational, Study and Career Guidance (SDBB) plays a key role in ensuring quality and consistency across cantonal services. It provides information resources (print and online), diagnostic tools, training for professionals, and serves as the national Euroguidance Center.

Services and practices

Switzerland offers comprehensive guidance services for both young people and adults:

For young people / students

Switzerland aims for 95% of the population to complete post-compulsory education at upper secondary level. Career guidance is an integral part of the school curriculum and is supported by the guidance service through information and advice. The active cooperation between the various partners (school, parents, guidance practitioners, business, training institutions) in the context of career choice helps students and parents to make informed plans and decisions about their educational path.

Guidance services also support students in their transition to higher education or the labour market.

For adults

Career guidance services assist adults in career transitions, further education, or re-entering the labour market. The "viamia" initiative, for example, offers free labour market viability assessments and career advice for people aged 40 and over. Public services work closely with business and social security stakeholders to offer specialised support.

Digital resources

The berufsberatung.ch portal, operated by SDBB, serves as Switzerland’s central career information hub, providing insights into professions, educational pathways, and training opportunities.

SDBB also manages other online services, such as the online test platform (OTP), which supports practitioners in the guidance process.

Education and training of guidance professionals

To become a qualified guidance professional in Switzerland, individuals must complete higher education studies (at universities of applied sciences or universities), leading to a federally recognised qualification (overview of training providers). In 2024, the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) introduced a new qualification profile for the title "Dipl. Berufs-, Studien- und Laufbahnberater/in". While the programme is reserved for psychologists in French-speaking Switzerland, applicants from diverse backgrounds can access training in German-speaking regions.

Research and development

Switzerland places great importance on collaboration among stakeholders, including educational institutions, businesses, organisations and guidance services, to ensure that guidance remains relevant and effective. Continuous evaluation and service adaptation is an essential part of meeting the evolving needs of people and the labour market.

Ethics and professional standards

The ethical guidelines for guidance practitioners define the values and standards of professionals in vocational, academic and career guidance as a professional code of conduct. The guidelines were developed jointly by public and private guidance professionals and serve as the foundation for ethical practice in Switzerland.

For more details on Switzerland’s education and career guidance system, visit the Swiss Conference of Cantonal Ministers of Education (EDK): https://www.edk.ch/de/themen/transversal/bslb