Project

History of Vocational Education and Training

In order to understand the current situation of VET in Switzerland, it is (often) essential to look at its evolution over time. In its current institutional form, our VET system has developed over the past hundred and fifty years and is the outcome of choices, compromise and decisions which reflect specific historical, socio-economic and cultural circumstances. Reviewing these elements ensures an in-depth understanding of the current situation and serves to develop a critical observation of the system itself, while paving the way for a comparative analysis of VET systems at international level.

Rido / Fotolia

With this in mind, this project intends to explore the history of Swiss VET in order to first reconstruct the main stages of its institutionalization, which led to the first related Federal Act in 1930 (and). Secondly, to note how this institutionalization process, which started in the second half of the 19th century, coincides with the emergence of a new vision of VET which, to a certain extent, prefigures how things stand today – a concept which emerges in particular in public speeches (by politicians, heads of education or other stakeholders) underlining renewed interest in this type of education, considered as an appropriate response to the economic crises of the time and, above all, to the technological progress and growing industrialization of Switzerland.

This project also covers two ancillary objectives: the development of a documentary database, including the main texts and publications regarding the history of VET in Switzerland, for use by the Institute staff, and the development of teaching materials for the Institute’s teaching activities (MSc, basic training, continuing education).

Method

The method retained to conduct this project is the analysis of speeches, based on a linguistic and contextual analysis of these texts.

It foresees an initial period to collect documents to make up the corpus for analysis (in this case texts written about VET from 1800 to 1930) and to review existing historical research on the subject, which will contribute to define the reference contextual framework; followed by a second period to analyze these same texts, focusing on how they were able to be produced and understood.

Publications

Transfer into practice

Presentations

History of Vocational Education and Training

Bonoli, L. (2021). The Origin of Vocational Guidance in Switzerland: Between Promotion of Aptitudes and Social Reproduction. In P. Eigenmann, P. Gonon, & M. Weil (Eds.), Opening and Extending Vocational Education (pp. 75-97). Bern: Peter Lang.

Bonoli, L. & Schweri, J. (2019). Die Beteiligung der Betriebe an der dualen Berufsausbildung in der Schweiz – Argumente von heute und 1900. bwp@ Berufs- und Wirtschaftspädagogik – online, Ausgabe 36, 1-19.

Bonoli, L. (2016). The development of statistics in the VET domain in Switzerland: Issues and difficulties between 1880 and 1930. In E. Berner & P. Gonon (Eds.), History of VET – Cases, Concepts and Challenges (pp. 387-400). Bern: Peter Lang.

Bonoli, L. (2015). Formation professionnelle et question sociale. A l'origine de la "vocation sociale" de la formation professionnelle suisse. Revue suisse des sciences de l'éducation, 37, 383-398.

Bonoli, L. (2015). Deconstructing the Myth of Rational Planning and Coherent Reform. In A. Heikinnen & L. Lassnig (Eds.), Myth and Brands in Vocational Education (pp. 44-58). London: Cambridge Scholars Publisher.

Bonoli, L. (2012). La naissance de la formation professionnelle en Suisse: entre compétences techniques et éducation morale. Education permanente - Revue de formation continue, 1, 209-221.

Bonoli, L. (2012). Un secolo di formazione professionale in Ticino. Cenobio, 3, 7-66.

Gaitzsch, S. (2022, novembre). « À Genève seul 3% des jeunes font un apprentissage directement après l'école obligatoire, et c'est un problème ». Interview avec Lorenzo Bonoli. Heidi.news, 22.11.2022.

Bonoli, L. (2019, May). Where are the Trade Unions? Some Insights into the Historical Evolution of the Swiss VET System. Paper presented at the 3rd Crossing Boundaries in VET Conference, Vocational Education and Training Network (VETNET), Valencia, Spain.

Bonoli, L. (2017, November). Roundtable on Research on VET History. Section: Focus on VET research. European VET research agenda: a framework and global trends. Paper presented at the European Vocational Skills Week, Brussels, Belgium.

Bonoli, L. (2015, octobre). Aux origines du système suisse de formation professionnelle. Communication présentée à la Journée d'études Territoires scientifiques et Technologiques (19e -21e), Ecole Normales Supérieure, Paris, France.

Bonoli, L. (2015, Februar). Die Berufsbildung und die «Soziale Frage» Der Ursprung der „soziale Berufung“ der Berufsbildung. Beitrag präsentiert am Kolloquium "Berufs- und Wirtschaftspädagogik. Institut für Erziehungswissenschaft, Universität Zürich, Zürich, Schweiz.

Bonoli, L. (2013, June). The origin of the private-public partnership in the Swiss VET system. Myths and Brands in VET, Tampere/Finland.

Bonoli, L. (2013, avril). La statistique absente. Le rôle des données statistiques dans le développement de la formation professionnelle en Suisse entre 1880 et 1930. Communication présentée lors de la Journée d'étude: Histoire et quantification de l'éducation, Paris, France.

Bonoli, L. (2013, avril). Le partenariat privé-public à l'origine du système suisse de formation professionnelle. Communication présentée au Colloque "Enseignement technique et architecture. Histoire et enjeux contemporain", Besançon, France.