Preliminary integration apprenticeships – flexibilisation of access to vocational education and training for refugees in Switzerland

Switzerland was one of the countries which saw a sharp increase in asylum migration in 2015 as many people fled regions affected by war and crisis. In December 2015, the Federal Council adopted a pilot programme with the aims of making better use of the areas of potential offered by young and adult refugees and of integrating such persons into VET and onto the labour market in a more sustainable way. After a preparatory phase, these so-called preliminary integration apprenticeships were launched in August 2018. This article explains the objectives behind the programme and the general conditions under which it operates. Initial insights are also provided into how models have been developed and implemented within the cantons and for certain occupations.