The Confederation defines continuing education and training (CET) as non-formal education, (see Federal Act on Continuing Professional Development), i.e. learning in structured programmes outside the formal education system. The state does not define any compulsory content requirements for the award of the leaving certificate, and does not issue any state-recognised diplomas or leaving certificates.

There is an extremely broad range of continuing education and training (CET) programmes and courses in Switzerland, with different objectives, content and durations according to target group. These are defined by the providers.

The admission requirements depend on the type of CET. There are no special admission requirements for most CET courses.

Continuing education and training (CET) takes places in different contexts. Accordingly, there is a variety of private, state, in-company, non-profit and profit-oriented CET providers. These include, for instance:

The Dispatch on the Promotion of Education, Research and Innovation in 2021-2024 reveals which political developments are important to Switzerland at present and in the future. The extent to which digitalisation is affecting private providers of continuing education and training (CET) is also increasingly important. The COVID-19 pandemic has rapidly accelerated digitalisation in the continuing education and training sector.

The Swiss continuing education and training (CET) landscape is characterised by great diversity with regard to responsibility, regulation, programmes offered and financing. CET is largely market-based. More than three quarters of the CET activities attended are in job-related fields and topics. These include, in particular, topics from the fields of business and labour, science and technology, and information technology.

Childcare

The Scuola dell’infanzia in the canton of Ticino differs from pre-school and the first learning cycle of German- and French-speaking Switzerland in that it takes children from the age of three. In the rest of Switzerland children of this age are cared for by childcare facilities and services.