Apprenticeship and training: how it works in Switzerland

Context

In brief

• Dual apprenticeship: 3-4 years of company practice + vocational school
• Federal legal protection: maximum hours, minimum holidays, mandatory social contributions
• Nationally recognized Practical Training Certificate (CFC)
• Subsequent access to professional maturity and university education

Key facts

• What: Dual professional training (practice + theoretical teaching) with CFC certificate
• Duration: 3-4 years depending on the sector and type of certificate
• Where: Every canton (including Glarus), at registered companies and recognized vocational schools
• Who: Apprentices, companies, vocational schools, Cantonal Training Offices
• Protection: Wage rights, maximum hours, minimum holidays, mandatory social insurances (AVS/AI/LAINF)

Apprenticeship represents the main professional training path in Switzerland, a dual system that combines practical training in a company with theoretical teaching in a school. In every canton, including Glarus, thousands of companies offer apprenticeship positions in various sectors: from commerce to craftsmanship, from industry to services and healthcare.

Those who undertake an apprenticeship work in a company registered in the cantonal lists, learning a trade under the guidance of a training master. At the same time, they attend general and theoretical training lessons at a recognized vocational school, usually 1-2 days a week. The total duration is usually 3 or 4 years, depending on the sector and the type of certificate pursued.

Structure and certification

The path allows obtaining a Practical Training Certificate (CFC), recognized at the national level and spendable on the Swiss job market. After the CFC, those who wish can access professional maturity, a title that opens the doors to professional universities (SUP) without an admission exam. There is also the Basic Certificate (CFP), a 2-year path aimed at those with learning difficulties.

Apprenticeship is regulated by federal legislation on professional training, which sets common standards for the whole of Switzerland. However, each canton has competence on local organizational details and supervision of training, through the respective Cantonal Office of Professional Training.

Legal protection of the worker

As an employee, the apprentice is protected by federal labor law norms. They cannot be exploited: the weekly working hours are limited (maximum 45 hours in industry, offices, and sales; 50 hours in other sectors), the minimum holidays are guaranteed (4 weeks per year, 5 if a minor), and the weekly rest is inviolable. During their stay at the company, the apprentice receives a salary agreed upon in the apprenticeship contract, from which social security contributions are deducted.

Social security contributions (AVS/AI/IPG, LAINF/LAA) are mandatory and paid by the employer or deducted from the salary according to contractual modalities. Health insurance (LAMal/KVG), which in Switzerland is private and mandatory for residents, remains the responsibility of the apprentice (with possible cantonal subsidies for young people with low income).

At the conclusion of the apprenticeship, the CFC is issued, a fundamental document for any subsequent employment in the sector.

Operational details

Compensation and salary bands

During the apprenticeship, compensation varies significantly depending on the sector, the cantonal region, and the year of training. There is no federal minimum wage in Switzerland, but many cantons have introduced their own. Additionally, some sectors have collective labor agreements that set minimum wages for apprentices, often with predetermined annual increases.

Generally, the initial salary is lower than that of a qualified worker with the same CFC, but it increases progressively over the years of training. Part of the workday is dedicated to school attendance, during which the apprentice is not physically at the company but still receives compensation. Sometimes the pay slip separately lists practical work days and school days.

Social contributions and mandatory insurance

The employer automatically pays social security contributions. The apprentice's share for AVS/AI/IPG is 5.3%, while the total (including the employer's contribution) is 10.6%. The work accident insurance (LAINF/LAA) varies by sector (from about 0.7% to 1.5%) and is entirely the company's responsibility.

Health insurance is private: the apprentice must take out insurance within 3 months of the first day of work, choosing a fund from the many available in the canton of residence. There are different deductibles (from CHF 300 to CHF 2500 annually) and coverage models. Each canton offers forms of subsidy for young people with low income. To verify the calculation of your gross-net salary based on social contributions, consult the salary calculator.

Apprenticeship contract: rights and obligations

The apprenticeship contract is a mandatory legal document that must contain:

• Start date and total duration of the apprenticeship
• Monthly (or daily) salary
• Weekly work schedule and school attendance days
• Number of annual vacation days (minimum 4 weeks, 5 if a minor)
• Duration of the probationary period (usually 1-2 months)
• Cause and manner of early termination
• Identification of the apprenticeship master and the vocational school

Once the probationary period is over, the contract cannot be terminated by either party without just cause (disciplinary reasons, insolvency, significant change in circumstances). If there is a disagreement about termination, the cantonal conciliation office can intervene.

Minors and additional protections

If the apprentice is a minor, Swiss law provides additional protections: reduced hours compared to adults, absolute prohibition of night work and particularly dangerous tasks, and mandatory supervision by the apprenticeship master. The minimum vacation increases to 5 weeks per year for those under 20 at the time of signing the contract.

Useful planning tools

To estimate your pension strategy, use the pension planner and the pillar 3 simulator.

Key points

How to find an internship

The first step is to identify the sector and the profession of interest. In Switzerland, thousands of professions are accessible through apprenticeships, from bricklayers to nurses, from cooks to electricians, from logistics to graphic designers. Each canton has an official catalog of learnable trades.

The main search channels are:

• National online portals: many cantons manage websites where all available internship ads are published, organized by sector and location.
• Cantonal training office: contact the canton's office directly where you wish to follow the internship (e.g., the one in Glarus for local internships). It provides guidance and lists accredited companies.
• Local companies: go directly to companies in the sector of interest with a CV and cover letter, even if they do not have published ads.
• School guidance: secondary schools offer professional guidance services and report local opportunities.
• Trade associations: professional orders, unions, and sectoral associations often publish ads and maintain lists of training companies.

Once you have found an interesting ad, prepare a professional application: a concise cover letter explaining the chosen motivation, an updated CV, and possibly a professional photograph. The candidate highlights transferable skills (seriousness, punctuality, ability to learn, teamwork) rather than technical qualifications (which will be acquired during the internship).

Selection and signing of the contract

Companies select apprentices through interviews, sometimes preceded by an aptitude test or skills (reasoning, manual skills, etc.). During the interview, motivation towards the profession, interest in the company and sector, and teamwork attitude are evaluated.

If accepted by the selection, the candidate and the company sign the internship contract in triplicate (one for the young person, one for the company, one for the cantonal office). Before the first working day, the apprentice must: take out the mandatory health insurance (at the company's request), enroll in the canton's vocational school, and find out about the days and times of lessons.

Professional Maturity: continuing studies

After obtaining the CFC, those who wish to continue towards tertiary education can access the professional maturity. This title requires 1-2 additional years of training, followed in parallel or subsequently to the CFC, and allows direct enrollment in professional universities (SUP) without an admission exam.

Professional maturity is offered by most cantonal vocational training schools and covers various orientations: technical, commercial, social services, health, design, tourism. Access depends on school results during the apprenticeship.

To find internship ads in your area, consult the national internship search portal and contact the cantonal vocational training office directly. If you have already started an apprenticeship, you can check your gross-net salary with the salary calculator.