Do companies benefit from training apprentices?

The cost-benefit ratio of apprenticeship training is one of the decisive factors determining whether companies are willing to offer a sufficient number of apprenticeship positions for VET programmes. Since the first Swiss cost-benefit survey was conducted in the year 2000, the costs and benefits of apprenticeship training have been surveyed at regular intervals to assess the economic viability of dual-track VET programmes. The main conclusion drawn from the fourth survey was that, on average, apprenticeship training brings net benefits to Swiss companies, including for two-year VET programmes. The aim of the fifth survey will be to update cost-benefit ratio data for the 2022/23 training year. An interesting aspect will be to ascertain whether and to what extent the current crisis will affect the cost-benefit ratio of apprenticeship training for companies.