The Swiss apprentice: biggest event of its kind shows off “Swiss Skills”

Visitors to the Swiss capital, Bern, have been finding out for themselves what it’s like to work as an apprentice. 

The different jobs at “Swiss Skills” – with 135 categories represented – are shown in authentic work environments, giving people an insight into these different professions and career opportunities. 

A main attraction: the championships, in which around 900 apprentices across 75 categories compete against each other to be the best in their field.

It’s only the second time that the championships, which are normally held separately by profession, are being carried out in one place. The last time was in 2014.

Swiss Skills, which ends on Saturday, is expecting 50,000 visitors, the majority of which will be school children.

Organisers say this year’s event is the biggest of its kind worldwide in terms of the number of professions represented. WorldSkills 2017, in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates – where the Swiss had a record gold medal haul in the international skills competitions – had 51 professions on show.

Switzerland is known for the quality of its apprenticeship training, which is often held up as a model for others.

(SRF/RTS/swissinfo.ch)