VET ordinances

VET ordinances (also referred to as “SERI Ordinances on Vocational Education and Training”) are mainly concerned with the most important legal aspects. They define the fundamental aspects of the VET programme, and in particular:

• the purpose and duration of the VET programme
• the objectives and requirements for the apprenticeship training and classroom instruction portions of the VET programme
• occupational safety, occupational health and environmental protection
• the distribution of training content across the three learning locations as well as the language of instruction
• the requirements that must be met by VET trainers and the maximum permissible number of learners in each host company
• training logbook, training report and performance records
• the qualification procedure
• the qualification and title awarded
• quality improvement and organisational aspects (composition and tasks of the committee for occupation development and quality (CODQ) within each professional organisation

The training plan is considered to be an integral part of the VET ordinance. It represents the teaching concept for the VET programme.

Professional organisations (in most cases a trade association) are responsible for the content of VET ordinances. SERI checks the content of each VET ordinance, organises a consultation procedure with representatives of the Confederation, the cantons and professional organisations, and finally issues the VET ordinance and brings it into force.

Each CODQ ensures that the content and quality of training in VET programmes are periodically reviewed to ensure that they match the requirements of the labour market