Cost-benefit study

Is it worthwhile for employers to take on apprentices?

A group of young women and men with profession utensils in their hands
© COM SFIVET
The willingness of employers to offer apprenticeship training is greatly dependent on the costs and benefits they associate with apprenticeships. The fourth cost-benefit study conducted by the Observatory for Vocational Education and Training of the Swiss Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (OBS SFIVET) reveals that most companies with apprenticeship programmes find it cheaper to train their own skilled workers than to hire them externally.

A random sample of businesses was contacted for the study, which was commissioned by the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI). Over 5,700 companies with apprenticeship schemes and over 4,000 companies without apprenticeship schemes responded to the online survey. Besides the three- and four-year Federal VET Diploma (EFZ) courses for the 2016/17 training year, the survey also included the two-year Federal VET Certificate (EBA) courses for the first time.

The report, together with detailed assessments of the most common apprenticeship occupations, is available from this website.

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swissinfo: Report: it pays for companies to have apprentices