September 17, 2025Open Access

The Story behind the Evolution of the Dual Systems of VET in Germany and Switzerland Revisited

PGPhilipp GononZurich University of Applied Sciences in Business Administration TDThomas DeißingerUniversity of Konstanz

Key Points

The dual vocational education and training (VET) systems developed over a long-term process in both countries.
Standardised and regulated vocational education in firms played a crucial role in establishing dual VET.
Historical analysis of documents from the 1870s to the 1970s provides insights into the evolution of dual systems.
The findings emphasize the pedagogical link between schools and workplaces in the dual VET framework.

Abstract

Context: The evolution of dual Vocational Education and Training (VET) systems remains still unclear. In this paper we take a historical and a comparative approach, to trace the developments in two countries, Germany and Switzerland and identify the core requirements for (re-)organising apprenticeships in the industrial and post-industrial era. Approach: Based on a historical analysis of documents, pamphlets, journal articles and legal acts, our findings reveal that vocationalised continuation schools, standardised and regulated vocational education in firms, both oriented towards occupations, and a pedagogically framed link between schools and workplace did establish a dual system of VET. Conclusions: We conclude, that this was a long-term process that unfolded in different ways in both countries between the 1870s and the 1970s.

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