Standardised or Flexible? Implementation Profiles of Support Courses in Swiss Vocational Schools

Context: Support courses are an important school-based support measure in Swiss vocational education and training (VET). They help learners meet school requirements and support the successful completion of initial VET programmes, yet little is known about how they are organised at Swiss vocational schools. As support courses are implemented within a federal, multi-level VET system, variation in the formalisation of responsibilities, procedures and resourcing is plausible. This study examines how support courses are designed and managed at Swiss vocational schools, identifies dominant implementation profiles, and situates them along a continuum of more and less formalised arrangements. Approach: Using a sequential mixed-methods design (QUAN→QUAL), all Swiss vocational schools in 25 cantons (N = 183) were invited to participate in a census survey; 128 schools responded (≈70%). In addition, 52 written support course concepts were collected and analysed using qualitative content analysis. Hierarchical agglomerative cluster analysis was conducted to identify homogeneous implementation profiles based on the three analytical dimensions used in the survey. Results were triangulated with the regulations documented in written concepts to corroborate and specify the quantitative patterns. Findings: Two dominant implementation profiles emerged among the clustered cases. Type A (more formalised) was more prevalent (n = 86) than Type B (less formalised; n = 28). Type A features written procedures, clearly defined responsibilities, and predefined criteria or thresholds for early detection, support planning and allocation. Type B is less formally regulated. Allocation and support planning are less consistently specified in writing and may rely more on locally coordinated procedures, professional judgement and case-related justification. Across both types, occupational alignment and language support are common. Financing is mostly framed as a cantonal and/or school responsibility, but documentation varies in transparency and specificity. Conclusion: The typology makes a governance-related balance between formalisation and flexibility visible. Both more and less formalised arrangements can contribute to quality and recognition if transparency, responsiveness and equal treatment are ensured. By providing the first national overview of implementation profiles of support courses in Swiss vocational schools, the study offers a point of comparison for research on school-level implementation of support measures in federal or decentralised VET systems and informs future work on effectiveness and equity-related outcomes.