Before becoming one of Switzerland’s best footballers, Xherdan Shaqiri trained in fashion retail. No wonder he’s into the layered look.
Laurent Gillieron / Keystone
Sergio Ermotti dreamt of being a footballer or skier. As an apprentice at the Cornèr Bank in Lugano, he learned how to sell and trade stocks. His ability to score in this field – plus a federal banking diploma – eventually earned him the position of CEO at UBS.
Steffen Schmidt / Keystone
From bean grower to executive bean counter: The son of a farmer, Ueli Maurer apprenticed as a commercial clerk at a farming cooperative. Today he’s the Swiss finance minister.
Peter Klaunzer / Keystone
The director of the Paléo Festival can probably help if there are problems with the sound system. Why? Because Daniel Rossellat trained as an electromechanic. And he’s the mayor of Nyon in western Switzerland, too.
Valentin Flauraud / Keystone
Originally, DJ Bobo trained as a baker and confectioner. Perhaps the antisocial hours helped prepare René Baumann, as he was then known, for the late nights on tour with his elaborate stage shows. In addition, he’s an ambassador to the UN World Food Programme.
Urs Flueeler / Keystoen
Leaving school at 16 could be a disadvantage in some careers and cultures. Yet these Swiss have worked their way to the top – sometimes in a whole other field – following a start in vocational education.
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Not content to mind her own business, Susan studied journalism in Boston so she’d have the perfect excuse to put herself in other people’s shoes and worlds. When not writing, she presents and produces podcasts and videos.
“While many other countries see apprenticeships as inferior to a university degree, Switzerland has quite a few political leaders and other people of influence who started out with an apprenticeship,” points out House of SwitzerlandExternal link, a federally funded website created to promote the Swiss image abroad.
After finishing the obligatory years of primary and secondary school, more than half of Swiss teens take on an apprenticeship. The most popular is the commercial one, according to a recent survey. In theory, it can lead to big things. Ueli Maurer, head of the federal finance ministryExternal link, apprenticed as a commercial clerk at a farming cooperative in the late 1960s.
Luckily for Switzerland and Liverpool, footballer Xherdan Shaqiri decided not to stick with his original career choice: fashion retail. However, his wardrobe probably still benefits from professional folding skills.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
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Teens keen on admin, health and logistics
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Upon graduation this summer, 87% of Swiss teens have continued their training in the form of further education or an apprenticeship.
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Nearly half of employees surveyed for the fourth Good Work Barometer said their employer did not do enough to encourage continued training.
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If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.