According to the Yousty platform, 6,400 learning places were free in mid-August 2025, including 1,200 in French-speaking Switzerland. These figures, taken up by many media, are not precise. According to data from the Orientation.ch site, there are actually 8,200 places to take. Why do some areas are struggling to seduce?
“It is impossible to have specific figures, since companies do not have the obligation to announce their places. Some go through platforms like Orientation.ch or Yousty, others by word of mouth or other means,” explains Catherine Fleury, communications manager of the Vaudois Office for School and Professional Orientation, Friday in the show.
The first year apprentices were back in early August at the beginning of August, the date of the start of their three or four years contract. There are currently thousands of vacant positions in Switzerland. Is it problematic for the economy? “Compared to other years, there are fewer free places. The situation is therefore not problematic. The professional path is still of interest and it is normal that there are still places, otherwise there would be enough choices for young people either.”
Cades-to improve
At the end of May, 55,000 people had signed a contract for this school year, 1300 more than last year. Certain sectors are struggling to recruit, such as construction, hotel and restoration, machinery and health industry. The fault of the arduousness of these professions? “Perhaps clichés remain compared to certain professions where the arduousness has been reduced. What is certain is that today young people are more interested in office trades and services than in manual or physical trades.”
At 15-16, the jump between compulsory school and an apprentice work can be violent. The working hours are sometimes morning and there is little vacation. We must comply with the professional requirements of the company and the salary is low. Should not improve these framework conditions to attract more young people? “Yes, they could certainly make learning more attractive, including the number of weeks of vacation, replies Catherine Fleury. There is also a pilot project carried out at the moment by the Vaudoise federation of entrepreneurs for masons, which has been offering for ten weeks of vacation for the first year. To see if it works.”
>> To consult also:: Petition to lengthen apprentices’ holidays: report in a restaurant in Ovronnaz (VS)
Figures that stagnate
What about long-term figures? Does learning lose ground? “There is a slow erosion. Today, we are rather in a stagnation of the number of contracts concluded each year for the benefit of the gymnasial sectors. Learning remains very attractive, but it is important that it remains in the future,” concludes Catherine Fleury. At the end of the compulsory school, two thirds of young people turn to vocational training, which remains the most popular path in Switzerland.
>> Read also: A petition harvested more than 170,000 signatures to lengthen apprentices’ holidays
Radio subject: Isabelle Fiaux
Adaptation Web: Myriam Semani
