12. Education and research.

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For a country lacking in natural resources such as Switzerland, a well-educated work force and constant innovation are its most important capital. The Swiss education and research policy is designed accordingly. Public schools, universities, postgraduate studies and international private schools and boarding schools are known worldwide for their quality. The federal structure of the country also ensures proximity of the business world and research institutions to the education system, as well as high quality. One special feature of Swiss education is the dual training system: students have a choice between the traditional educational path at high schools and universities, or trade and industrial vocations and careers in the service sector, where they receive hands-on training on the job.

12.1 Schooling and vocational

training.

Under the Swiss system, the cantons are responsible for the qual-ity and type of education (basic education, universities, universities of applied sciences) within their territory. Only the Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology are under federal direction. Various coor-dination bodies ensure that the education and instruction plans are harmonized among the cantons.

12. Education and research.

Swiss Conference of Cantonal Ministers of Education (EDK)

www.edk.ch

Languages: German, English, French, Italian

The Swiss Education Server

www.educa.ch

Educational statistics

www.bildungssystem.bfs.admin.ch Languages: German, French

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12.1.1 Basic and further education

Education begins at the kindergarten level at age ﬁve or six. Primary school starts at age seven and runs through to grades four to six, followed by the lower secondary level, the name and curriculum of which vary from canton to canton. Students attend a secondary school which corresponds to their personal level. With the completion of the lower secondary level, students have ﬁnished the nine compulsory school years. Students can then ei-ther begin vocational training, attend high school to prepare them for university studies or earn a specialized diploma.

95 % of students ﬁnish their mandatory education at the public school where they reside; only 5 % attend private schools. Public

schools enjoy a good reputation. In the 2009 OECD Program for International Student Assessments (PISA), Swiss students scored higher than the average in OECD states, with the public schools achieving higher scores than the private schools.

The public schools not only provide an education, they also fulﬁll an important integration function: children with different social, linguistic and cultural backgrounds all attend the same schools. For Switzerland, a country with four national languages, multi-lingual skills are extremely important. In addition to their mother tongue, children are taught a second national language and English beginning in primary school.

Fig. 58: Quality of the education system, 2011 1 = does not meet the needs of the economy 10 = meets the needs of the economy

Source: IMD World Competitiveness Online, 2011

1 Finland 8.39 2 Switzerland 8.18 3 Singapore 8.05 4 Canada 7.64 5 Iceland 7.60 7 Belgium 7.55 8 Denmark 7.44 9 Ireland 7.22 10 Germany 6.97 14 Netherlands 6.68 15 New Zealand 6.66

16 Hong Kong SAR 6.56

18 India 6.24 24 USA 6.56 25 Great Britain 5.45 26 France 5.42 28 Japan 5.26 30 Luxemburg 5.13 36 Italy 4.69 47 China 4.10 51 Russia 3.43 58 Brazil 2.22

Fig. 59: Public spending on education per head in US dollars, 2009

Source: IMD World Competitiveness Online, 2011

1 Luxemburg 5,788 2 Norway 4,712 3 Denmark 4,480 4 Sweden 3,592 5 Switzerland 3,554 7 USA 3,050 8 Netherlands 2,880 9 Belgium 2,821 10 Ireland 2,734 11 Great Britain 2,730 12 France 2,684 19 Italy 1,787 20 Germany 1,778 21 Japan 1,678 26 Singapore 1,197

27 Hong Kong SAR 1,073

41 Russia 413 42 Brazil 412 54 China 114 56 India 36 PISA study www.pisa.oecd.org

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12.1.2 Vocational training

Basic vocational training begins after the completion of compul-sory education. Great importance is placed on practical on-the-job training. Over three-quarters of all young people complete an apprenticeship, which lasts three to four years and consists of practical work in a company and theoretical studies at a voca-tional school. In addition, students are eligible to obtain profes-sional certiﬁcation, which entitles them to enter a university of applied sciences where they can earn a Bachelor’s or, in some cases, a Master’s degree. Universities of applied sciences provide a tertiary level of education. 80 % of Swiss students continue their education once they have completed compulsory school-ing, placing Switzerland near the top of all OECD countries with regard to further education.

This dual system ensures that businesses have a choice of well-qualiﬁed and practically trained employees in a given industry. The rate of unemployment among young people is approximately half as high as in Germany, Sweden and the United States. It is important to note that vocational training as a foundation of the Swiss school system does not reduce the importance of scientiﬁc subjects in education.

Professional education and training play an important role in Switzerland. Higher specialist and professional training courses are conducted with the approval of the federal authorities and profes-sional associations. Successful completion of these courses leads to a Swiss federal vocational certiﬁcate or diploma. In Switzerland there are over 100 federally recognized schools offering profes-sional college degree programs, the majority of which are engi-neering colleges. These schools teach qualiﬁcations that often are learned only at universities in other countries. Vocational degrees are mutually recognized through bilateral agreements between Switzerland and the EU.

12.2 Further education.

Continuing education plays an important role in Switzerland. Public institutions such as universities or universities of applied sciences offer post-graduate programs and courses on various specialized topics which are open to everyone, not just gradu-ates. Non-students can also sign up to sit in on regular courses. Adult education courses are publicly subsidized and open to everyone. There is also a wide variety of courses offered by private schools – from language courses to yoga to management courses.

Federal Ofﬁce for Professional Education and Technology OPET

www.bbt.admin.ch

Information of the Federal Department of Economic Affairs FDEA about education, research and innovation

www.evd.admin.ch > Topics > Education, Research and Innovation

Swiss education system

www.swissworld.org > Education

Languages: German, English, French, Italian, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, Japanese

Choice of profession, ﬁeld of studies, career

www.berufsberatung.ch

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In the 2010/2011 autumn semester, around 131,000 students were enrolled in these twelve universities, 50 % of whom were female and 27 % were foreign students. This is one of the highest percentages of international students worldwide. At 48 % (2009), the number of foreign professors is also comparatively high, and has been rising since 2002, underlining the international aspect of Swiss universities.

There is a very wide range of subjects of study offered at Swiss universities. With the exception of medicine, there are no speciﬁc restrictions on admission. For a Bachelor’s/Master’s degree, foreign students must meet the language requirements and some universities require students to pass an admissions exam. Tuition fees for international students are also very reasonable. In addi-tion to tuiaddi-tion, between CHF 18,000 and CHF 28,000 a year are required for living expenses, depending on the city and personal needs. As a result of the Bologna Accords, which aim to create a European higher education area, all Swiss universities have converted all courses of study to the Bachelor’s/Master’s system. Within the scope of this reform, courses of study are increasingly offered partially or fully in English (esp. Master’s courses). Swit-zerland participates in international student exchange programs such as ERASMUS, making it possible for foreign students to study at a Swiss university for a semester.

Swiss universities have earned high praise worldwide for their curricula and ﬁelds of research in certain areas of specialization in various degree subjects. The two federal institutes of technol-ogy in Zurich (ETHZ) and Lausanne (EPFL) work together with the international research community to conduct cutting-edge research. They strive to attract world-renowned scientists. Swiss universities regularly rank among the top 100 universities world-wide and even higher in Europe, while some of the institutes are part of the world elite. Swiss colleges and universities are also involved in international research programs – particularly the EU Framework Program for Research and Technological Develop-ment – and offer postgraduate studies (e.g. in cooperation with foreign academic institutions).

12.3 Universities and colleges.

12.3.1 Universities and technical colleges

In Switzerland there are ten cantonal universities at which the main language of instruction is either German (Basel, Berne, Zurich, Lucerne, St. Gallen), French (Geneva, Lausanne Neuchâ-tel), Italian (Lugano) or German and French (Fribourg). There is a Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (French) and one in Zurich (German).

Fig. 60: Swiss higher-education landscape

Source: SER State Secretariat for Education and Research Overview of schools and courses

www.weiterbildung.ch

www.ausbildung-weiterbildung.ch www.seminare.ch

Language: German

Association of Swiss Adult Education Centers

www.up-vhs.ch

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12.3.2 Universities of applied sciences

Universities of applied sciences offer practical training at the Bachelor’s and Master’s level for professionals, most of whom have professional certiﬁcation and have already gathered experi-ence in their trade. In addition to normal teaching, these univer-sities conduct research and development projects with private companies, in particular smaller and medium-sized companies, and provide advanced training courses to local enterprises.

As a result, universities of applied sciences have partial respon-sibility for regional science and technology transfer and therefore are in continuous interaction with the industry. They have a large pool of teaching, research, development and services compe-tence which is strongly geared to clients, markets and practice. In their role as research institutes, they are supported at the national level by the CTI Commission for Technology and Innovation and the Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology and universities. Source: CRUS Rectors’ Conference of the Swiss Universities

Federal Institute of Tech-nology Lausanne Federal Institute of Tech-nology Zurich Univer-sity of Basel Univer-sity of Berne Univer-sity of Fribourg Univer-sity of Geneva Univer-sity of Lausanne Univer-sity of Lucerne Univer-sity of Neuchâ-tel Univer-sity of St. Gallen Univer-sity of Zurich Univer-sity of Lugano (Lugano, Mendri-sio) Swiss students 1,266 1,288 1,400 1,310 1,224 1,000 1,160 1,570 1,030 2,040 1,378 4,000

Additional fees for

international students – – – – 300 – – – 550 300 200 4,000

Total international

students 1,266 1,288 1,400 1,310 1,524 1,000 1,160 1,570 1,580 2,340 1,578 8,000

Fig. 61: Tuition fees in CHF per year (2011/12)

Overview of universities

www.ch.ch > Individuals > Education and Research > University Languages: German, English, French, Italian

State Secretariat for Education and Research

www.sbf.admin.ch

University rankings

www.universityrankings.ch

Languages: German, English, French

Swiss University Continuing Education Association

www.swissuni.ch

Studying in Switzerland

www.crus.ch

Information for foreign students

www.swissuniversity.ch Language: English

Overview of universities of applied sciences

www.bbt.admin.ch > Universities of Applied Sciences Languages: German, English, French, Italian

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12.3.3 Executive MBA program (EMBA)

A special type of further education is the Executive MBA program, which is aimed at managers with many years of experience under their belt. Generally, EMBA courses are work-study programs that are based on a module system. Most of the degree programs also include time studying abroad in addition to the courses in Switzerland. IMD in Lausanne is a prime example of a top Swiss school whose EMBA program is regularly ranked as one of the best in the world. The program at the University of St. Gallen is also in the top 50 in the world.

12.4 International private schools

and boarding schools.

The Swiss education system also includes private schools. There are more than 260 private schools that teach courses in one of the three national languages of German, French and Italian or in English (and some also offer other languages) to more than 100,000 students.

Above all, international schools are important for employees of foreign companies, who often only stay in Switzerland for a short time. There, children receive a suitable education in their native language or an international education and are prepared for the school leaving certiﬁcates valid in their home country, such as the Abitur, Baccalauréat or US University Admission Certiﬁcate. There is a suitable institute in every region and all big cities. The school fees are average compared to other countries.

School Location Homepage

IMD Lausanne (Switzerland),

Europe (Ireland, Roma-nia), Shanghai (China), Silicon Valley (USA)

www.imd.ch/programs/ emba English Omnium Alliance (University of St. Gallen, University of Toronto, partner schools)

Brazil, China, India, Canada, Switzerland

www.omniumgemba. com, www.gemba. unisg.ch English University of St. Gallen St. Gallen (Switzerland),

Hungary, China, Brazil

www.emba.unisg.ch German

University of Zurich Zurich (Switzerland), Yale (USA), Shanghai (China), Hyderabad (India)

www.emba.uzh.ch German

Rochester-Berne/Uni-versity of Berne, Univer-sity of Rochester Berne (Switzerland), Rochester (USA), Shanghai (China) www.executive-mba.ch English

GSBA Zurich, University of Maryland

North America, Europe and Asia

www.gsba.ch/mba German, English ZfU International

Busi-ness School

Zurich, Boston (USA) www.zfu.ch/weiterbil-dung/masters German Fig. 62: Executive MBA: the top schools

Programs at Swiss universities

www.swissuniversity.ch Language: English

Economist ranking

www.economist.com/whichmba Language: English

Financial Times ranking

www.rankings.ft.com > MBA/EMBA Language: English

MBA/EMBA programs in Switzerland

www.ﬁnd-mba.com/switzerland Language: English

Swiss Education Portal

www.ausbildung-weiterbildung.ch Language: German

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Swiss boarding schools are not just known for their high level of education, but also for their strict discipline and international student body. Often they have very selective acceptance criteria and are known for their elite standing in the world.

12.5 Research and development.

12.5.1 Swiss research industry

The faster the pace of technological change, the greater the role that research and development play in the economy of a country. Switzerland is a country with intensive research activities. It spent over 3 % of its GDP on research and development in 2008. Since 1996 the real rate of change is 4.1 % as an annual average and is thereby higher than the annual average economic growth during the same period (2.1 %). All relevant indicators position Switzer-land in the top ranks of international comparisons.

Of the total CHF 16.3 billion spent on research and development in 2008, 73 % was ﬁnanced by the private sector (approx. CHF 12 billion). The pharmaceuticals industry (CHF 4.6 billion) and the machine industry (CHF 1.4 billion) have the highest expenditure. The combined R&D expenses of all universities and research institutes amounted to CHF 9 billion in 2008, which was nearly one-quarter of total Swiss expenditure. In 2008 around 62,000 people were involved in research, nearly 40,000 of whom work in the private sector.

Fig. 63: School fees for international private schools

English School French School German School City Annual tuition –

Primary Annual tuition – Secondary Annual tuition – Primary Annual tuition – Secondary Annual tuition – Primary Annual tuition – Secondary

Ljubljana 8,483* 9,068* 6,455 9,898 n.a. n.a.

Dublin 17,256* 20,677* 4,901 7,298 6,340 5,960 Barcelona 13,568 14,765 5,852 6,291 6,276 6,419 Singapore 21,981 27,009 14,225 15,961 12,153 14,026 Budapest 20,923 21,939 6,921 8,189 4,662 4,662 Milan 17,120 19,386 5,510 6,920 7,531 7,531 Geneva 26,292 35,384* 17,897 21,707 15,176 15,176

Vienna 17,190* 21,826* 6,039 6,039 n.a. n.a.

Frankfurt 20,548* 22,312* 4,891 5,967 n.a. n.a.

Amsterdam 19,847 21,103 7,007 11,028 9,467 9,467

Paris 27,162 31,665 6,562 6,606 10,027 10,027

New York 34,500 36,750 21,470 24,450 17,000 17,000

London 20,936 22,134 7,701 7,701 8,873 8,873

Brussels 32,346 39,375 6,380 7,805 12,580 14,258

* No English school available; data is based on the international school. Source: Mercer, Cost-of-Living Report, September 2011, www.mercer.com

Private school registry of Switzerland

www.swissprivateschoolregister.com Languages: German, English, French, Italian

Association of Swiss Private Schools (VSP)

www.swiss-schools.ch

Languages: German, English, French, Italian, Spanish

Swiss Group of International Schools

www.sgischools.com Language: English

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The CTI Commission for Technology and Innovation can make significant financial contributions to research and development projects in which companies cooperate with non-profit research organizations.

Government funding is provided principally for basic research. The private sector and the scientiﬁc community work closely together. Each institute at the university and college level has a coordination ofﬁce for cooperation with the private sector. Fig. 64: Total per capita expenditure for research and

development in USD, 2009

Source: IMD World Competitiveness Online 2011

1 Switzerland 1,953 2 Luxemburg 1,801 3 Finland 1,766 4 Denmark 1,694 5 Sweden 1,586 8 Japan 1,316 9 USA 1,307 11 Germany 1,149 14 France 936 15 Netherlands 886 16 Ireland 878 17 Belgium 860 18 Singapore 833 20 Great Britain 658 23 Italy 448

30 Hong Kong SAR 236

36 Russia 108

37 Brazil 102

42 China 64

54 India 9

Fig. 65: Nobel prizes per million inhabitants, 2010

Source: IMD World Competitiveness Online 2011

1 Switzerland 1.53 2 Norway 1.23 3 Sweden 0.97 4 Great Britain 0.92 5 USA 0.84 6 Denmark 0.72 8 Netherlands 0.48 9 Germany 0.37 13 Belgium 0.28 14 France 0.27 15 Ireland 0.22

17 Hong Kong SAR 0.14

19 Japan 0.09 21 Italy 0.08 22 Russia 0.07 25 China 0.00 26 India 0.00 27 Brazil 0.00 27 Luxemburg 0.00 27 Singapore 0.00

Institution Location Website

CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research Geneva www.cern.ch

English, French EAWAG Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology Dübendorf (ZH),

Kastanienbaum (LU)

www.eawag.ch

German, English, French EMPA Materials Science and Technology Research Institution Thun (BE), Dübendorf (ZH),

St. Gallen

www.empa.ch

German, English, French

PSI Paul Scherrer Institute Villigen (AG) www.psi.ch

German, English, French

SLF WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research Davos (GR) www.slf.ch

German, English, French, Italian

The Graduate Institute

The Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies

Geneva www.graduateinstitute.ch

English, French WSL Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape

Research

Birmensdorf (ZH), Bellinzona (TI)

www.wsl.ch

German, English, French, Italian

Fig. 66: Research institutions in Switzerland

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12.5.2 International research and development cooperation The Swiss private sector has a keen interest in research coopera-tion with partners abroad, particularly from the EU. Research and development cooperation with innovative foreign partners also allows smaller companies access to know-how from which they can beneﬁt. The bilateral agreements with the EU create even more favorable conditions for this type of cooperation and allow Switzerland to participate fully in all programs and activities of the EU’s Framework Research Programs.

State Secretariat for Education and Research SER

www.sbf.admin.ch > Topics > Research Languages: German, English, French, Italian

Innovation promotion agency

www.kti-cti.ch

Swiss National Science Foundation

www.snf.ch

Promotion of science

www.ch.ch > Individuals > Education and Research > Promotion of science

Swiss Portal for Research and Innovation

www.myscience.ch

International research and development cooperation

www.snf.ch > International

Swiss international cooperation in education, research and technology

www.sbf.admin.ch > Topics > International cooperation Languages: German, English, French, Italian