At the school level

According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), annual public spending on education in Switzerland is among the highest of OECD countries, spending $17 per student compared with the OECD average of $10 per student. Switzerland is the sixth most literate country in the world, just after the Nordic countries. 95% of the Swiss population obtains a certification at the end of the Secondary II level (e.g. maturité fédérale or cantonale, CFC etc). Compared to the rest of the world, Switzerland has extremely educated school leavers. The Swiss education system is characterised in particular the ability to move between the different educational levels or structures. There are many ways to enter or transfer to a training programme or school or to attend a catch-up training programme. We are lucky to be in such a system. However, does learning stop after school or higher education?

Changing workplace and workforce

In the attempt to leave no one behind, qualifying or requalifying on the job, learning and further training are an inevitable part of today’s world. It has been written that Generation Y will change professions at least five times in their lives; what about the post-millennials? The so-called “slasher” generation holds more than one job, or holds full-time jobs but pursues other activities on the side. It is clear that these developments are already changing the workplace.

So the question is how do ecosystems adapt to these changing market forces? Management is changing. We have seen flat organisations, flatter organisations and flatarchies. The latest buzzword is “holacracy”. The basic goal with this structure is to allow for distributed decision-making while giving everyone the opportunity to work on what they do best. This means that a whole new set of skills and competencies are required, and that is why education is core…. And must change to adapt to what the labour market’s future needs will be.

A lifelong need to learn and train

Baby boomers and the Generation X may feel that they are close to retirement or experienced enough and don’t need to invest in further learning. This is a fallacy. To remain competitive on the job market, everyone should anticipate the changes that artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain and robotics might bring to the workplace. All of us must continue to train, learn and stay up to date. There are opportunities to learn in many sectors and many different ways. digitalswitzerland’s platform educationdigital has a wide range of courses on offer; take a look and see what you can sign up for.

Digital natives can mentor digital immigrants. In my daily job I learn from my younger colleagues and enjoy their showing me how to do things. It is a voyage of discovery that has opened up new possibilities. Learning can be formal and informal; the main thing is to learn continuously. We are lucky in Switzerland to have a wide and varied offer. Take advantage of it and have a look at our platform educationdigital. And sign up to our newsletter to keep informed!