Many countries are struggling with youth unemployment. Southern Europe is particularly affected: Spain and Greece have the highest rates at 53.2 and 52.4 percent respectively, followed by Croatia, Italy and Portugal. Compared internationally, Switzerland has a very low rate of youth unemployment at just 2.7 percent. One of the main reasons for this is Switzerland’s unique vocational education and training system.
Professional skills and personal development
Around two thirds of all young people in Switzerland opt for vocational education and training after completing their compulsory education. An apprenticeship offers attractive prospects on the labour market and is particularly designed to help young people develop personal maturity. Young people learn important general skills such as a customer-oriented approach, reliability, team skills and friendliness. When training its apprentices, the Mibelle Group not only attaches importance to professional skills (hard skills), it also pays attention to soft skills – essential prerequisites for any job. These soft skills include self-discipline, problem-solving skills and methodological skills such as time management and presentation techniques. It is also important to us that our apprentices understand business-related aspects and entrepreneurial skills such as the ability to innovate.
Over 50 apprentices in 11 occupations
In summer 2017, 19 apprentices started their vocational training with the Mibelle Group. We set ourselves the goal of creating a total of 30 apprenticeship positions by 2020, rising to 50 by 2040. We have already exceeded this goal and are currently training 54 apprentices in 11 different occupations, ranging from plant operators and automation engineers to chemical and pharmaceutical technicians, laboratory technicians, food technologists, logisticians and polymechanics.
At our Frenkendorf location, 31 apprentices are currently being trained in 9 different occupations. At 10.5 percent, the ratio of apprentices here is especially high compared to the overall workforce. In Buchs, 23 apprentices are being trained in 9 different occupations. Our apprentices benefit from modern employment conditions, flexible working time models and numerous discounts, for example for language courses, travel cards for public transport etc. A range of internal activities promotes a company-wide sense of solidarity and cohesion among the apprentices beyond the individual branch locations.
Securing our future by training apprentices
At the Mibelle Group, we attach great importance to training qualified young professionals, as they are the key to ensuring our competitiveness and securing the future of our company and the industry. Our vocational training programmes enable us to react quickly and flexibly to the changing needs of the company. We make sure that our apprentices learn precisely the skills that are important for the Mibelle Group. A good example of this is the increasing level of digitalisation and automation which is creating new occupations. We have recognised this trend and from 2018 we will also start training apprentices in mediamatics.
For the Mibelle Group, training apprentices will continue to be an important success factor in the future.
