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October 2023
12.10.2023 – Cybersecurity affects everyone – because the focus is always on people. Read the press release in German.
06.10.2023 – Digital sovereignty and critical infrastructure – where are the limits? Read the press release in German.
05.10.2023 – The electronic patient dossier is at a crossroads. Read the press release in German.
May 2023
26.05.2023 – digitalswitzerland: Strengthen regions, increase impact. Read the press release in German, French and Italian.
December 2022
14.12.2022 – The Swiss population is ready for a digital healthcare system. Read the press release in German, French and Italian.
October 2022
27.10.2022 – Those were the Swiss Digital Days 2022. Find the press release in German, French and Italian.
04.10.2022 – Study on digitalisation in Switzerland: Great willingness – little movement. Read the press release in German, French and Italian.
03.10.2022 – Swiss Digital Days 2022 are coming to Eastern Switzerland and Liechtenstein. Read the press release in German.
September 2022
28.09.2022 – IMD World Digital Competitiveness Ranking: Switzerland once again among the top 5 worldwide. Read the press release in German and French.
27.09.2022 – Swiss Digital Days 2022 are coming to Ticino. Read the press release in Italian.
20.09.2022 – Digital sustainability and secure browsing: Swiss Digital Days are coming to the Romandie. Read the press release in French.
13.09.2022 – Augmented reality glasses and e-scooters: Swiss Digital Days are coming to Zurich. Read the press release in German.
06.09.2022 – Digital topics for young and old: there’s something for everyone at Swiss Digital Days in Northwestern Switzerland. Read the press release in German.
05.09.2022 – Switzerland’s largest NFT project unveiled at the start of Swiss Digital Days 2022. Read the press release in German, French and Italian.
August 2022
30.08.2022- 4. Digital Gipfel Schweiz: International business leaders, academics and digital thought leaders meet to exchange views on the digital future. Read the press release in German and French.
29.08.2022 – Startup battle, hackathon and big bubbles: Swiss Digital Days are coming to Bern. Read the press release in German.
July 2022
21.07.2022 – From A as in Aarau to Z as in Zurich: Swiss Digital Days 2022 are going on a Switzerland-wide tour. Read the press release in German, French and Italian.
June 2022
28.06.2022 – No improvement in cybersecurity among SMEs despite digitalisation boost from Corona crisis. Read the press release in German, French and Italian.
March 2022
18.03.2022 – An important step towards increasing Switzerland’s cyber resilience: statement on Amendment of the Ordinance on Telecommunications Services (OTS) to protect telecommunications infrastructures and services. Read the press release in German and French.
January 2022
26.01.2022 – Statement on the amendment of the Federal Act on Foreign Nationals and Integration. Read the press release in German and French.
18.01.2022 – The Swiss Digital Initiative presents the world’s first label for digital responsibility. Read the press release in English, German, French and Italian.
December
23.12.2021 – Stefan Metzger appointed new Managing Director of digitalswitzerland. Read the press release in German, English, Italian and French.
November
18.11.2021 – Home office is establishing itself as a place of work for SMEs. Read the press release in German, French and Italian.
11.11.2021 – Digital Economy Award: Recognition for digital excellence. The digital pioneers of the year have been selected. Read the Press Release in German and French.
7.11.2021 – Programming with purpose: #herHACK Switzerland’s largest female hackathon sets an example for gender diversity. The Press Release is available in German, French and Italian.
3.11.2021 – The Swiss Digital Initiative unveils the Digital Trust Label Seal. The Press Release is available in English.
October 2021
28.10.2021 – Digital Day 2021: 12 hours of livestream and over 150 events, online and across Switzerland. The Press Release is available in German, French and Italian.
14.10.2021 – A Swiss Pavilion at GITEX Technology Week, one of the largest technology fairs in the Middle East. The Press Release is available in German and French.
13.10.2021 – The E-ID is inevitable – let’s move forward. The Press Release is available in German and French. Read the statement in German.
7.10.2021 – Wake-up call from pandemic: The Swiss want to improve digital skills. Press Release is available in German, French and Italian. Data is available in German.
September 2021
30.09.2021 – Finalists of the Digital Economy Award: Fintech industry booming, healthcare more digital as never before. The Press Release is available in German and French.
29.09.2021 – Kick Off for Digital Day 2021 – 6 weeks of inspiration start now! Press Release available in German, French and Italian.
15.09.2021 – Unacceptable solution for the Labour Law – flexible working for the ICT sector continues to be out of reach. digitalswitzerland calls for key points to be added to the insufficient proposal. The Press Release is available in German and French.
7.07.2021 – Possible approach for the creation of a trustworthy Distributed Ledger Technology ecosystem in Switzerland. The Press Release is available in German, French and English.
August 2021
31.08.2021 – Swiss Digital Day 2021: Digital skills for a digital future. The Press Release is available in German, French and Italian.
24.08.2021 – 3rd Digital Gipfel Switzerland: International digital experts and
Swiss business representatives exchange ideas on digitalisation. The Press Release is available in German and French.
18.08.2021 – Security above speed: Yes to the e-voting proposal with a sense of moderation. The Press Release is available in German and French.
July 2021
13.07.2021 – Swiss Digital Day 2021: This is how the population is shaping Switzerland’s digital future. The Press Release is available in German, French and Italian.
June 2021
24.06.2021 – Untapped potential for skilled workers among older employees. The Press Release is available in German and French. Survey available in German.
17.06.2021 – Digital Economy Award: Honouring Switzerland’s digital
Switzerland’s top digital achievements takes place. The Press Release is available in German and French.
2.06.2021 – digitalswitzerland confirms new president. The Press Release is available in German, French and Italian.
May 2021
27.05.2021 – digitalswitzerland confirms new president. The Press Release is available in German, French and Italian.
11.05.2021 – Switzerland-wide initiative strengthens digital skills of
employees. The Press Release is available in German, French and Italian.
6.05.2021 – SDI Report: Labels and Certifications for the Digital World – Mapping the International Landscape. The Press Release is available in German, French & English.
April 2021
21.04.2021 – Switzerland provides new impulses for innovation: Privacy Icons wins award for the most impressive digitalisation project. The Press Release is available in German and French.
16.04.2021 – Sascha Zahnd becomes new president of digitalswitzerland. The Press Release is available in German, French and Italian.
12.04.2021 – Cutting-edge Swiss technologies showcased at the digital HANNOVER MESSE 2021. The Press Release is available in German and French.
March 2021
7.03.2021 – The e-ID law is rejected. The Press Release is available in German, French and Italian.
February 2021
17.02.2021 – Digital Economy Award enters 3rd round: Nomination phase started. The Press Release is available in German, French and Italian.
January 2021
14.01.2021 – The E-ID law stands for a modern Switzerland. The Press Release is available in German.
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December
14.12.2023 – Festive digital news ✨
07.12.2023 – Thank you for being a part of Swiss Digital Days 2023 🎉
November
30.11.2023 – Digital December delights
23.11.2023 – You are invited to our Lighthouse Event! 🤩
09.11.2023 – Big reveal of Swiss Digital Days 🎉
02.11.2023 – Be part of the community
October
19.10.2023 – Raise your voice
12.10.2023 – Swiss Digital Days: halftime highlights 🎉
05.10.2023 – Dive into Cyberrisks, Digital Health and Future Skills
September
28.09.2023 – Swiss Digital Days: in the midst of digitalisation 🎉
21.09.2023 – Highlights and Horizons
14.09.2023 – Swiss Digital Days 2023 officially kicked off! 🎉
07.09.2023 – Event season is here 🤩
August
31.08.2023 – 5 more days until Swiss Digital Days 2023
24.08.2023 – Exploring digital frontiers
17.08.2023 – Swiss Digital Days 2023 – Are you ready?
10.08.2023 – Encouraging lifelong learning
July
27.07.2023 – Breaking down silos
13.07.2023 – Connecting the digital dots
June
29.06.2023 – Stay ahead of the curve
15.06.2023 – Connect, Collaborate, and Contribute
01.06.2023 – Breaking barriers and embracing diversity
May
17.05.2023 – Plunge into digitalisation through events
04.05.2023 – Transformative innovations take centre stage
April
20.04.2023 – 🖋️ Pull out your pen and block your agenda
06.04.2023 – 🏃♀️ Stay ahead in the digital age
March
23.03.2023 – 🤝 Let’s tackle the digital future together
09.03.2023 – Empowered through digitalisation
February
23.02.2023 – Finding trust in the digital world 🤝
09.02.2023 – 👥 Creating a brighter future together
January
26.01.2023 – 🤝 WEF 2023: moments of inspiration & engagement
12.01.2023 – Sharing is caring 🤝 Would you agree?
December
15.12.2022 – 💡Is Switzerland moving towards a digital healthcare system?
2.12.2022 – 💡Join us and reflect on 2022
November
17.11.2022 – The digital future: set yourself up for success 🚀
3.11.2022 – 🎬 🎤 That was Swiss Digital Days 2022
October
27.10.2022 – Swiss Digital Days 2022 Closing Event | Celebrate with us 🎊 🤖
20.10.2022 – Events, Exchanges and Endings ⏳🚀
13.10.2022 – You’re invited to the Swiss Digital Days Closing Event 🎊 🤖
6.10.2022 – Expand your comfort zone with digital skills 🦁
September
29.9.2022 – Having trouble keeping track of digitalisation? We’ve got you.
22.9.2022 – Switzerland’s ICT Skills Shortage | Swiss Digital Days & more! 🤖
8.9.2022 – We are attempting to break a world record and we need your help 🤩
1.9.2022 – Swiss Digital Days kick off on the Bundesplatz in Bern💥
August
25.8.2022 – Who can we trust?💭
18.8.2022 – You’re invited to Swiss Digital Days! 🚀✨
11.08.2022 – Digitalisation doesn’t take a summer break ☀️
July
28.7.2022 – 👩🏻⚕️ Are you taking care of your health?
14.7.2022 – How can we combat the skills shortage?
June
30.6.2022 – We made it on national TV 📺
16.6.2022 – A summer of opportunities
2.6.2022 – Is Switzerland future ready? 🔮
Mai
19.5.2022 – Don’t hide from Cybersecurity…
5.5.2022 – Digitalisation is a journey. Will you join us?
April
21.4.2022 – What’s in these buzz words? 👀
7.4.2022 – The best time to learn is now
March
24.3.2022 – On security in the digital space
10.3.2022 – Digital transformation is yours to lead
February
24.2.2022 – Meeting AI with critical curiosity
10.2.2022 – Shape the digital space you inhabit
January
27.1.2022 – Are you future-workforce ready? 🎓💻
6.1.2022 – New Year, New Managing Director: Welcome Stefan Metzger! 💥
December
16.12.2021 Celebrating all that was, is and will be ✨
November
18.11.201 – We’re hiring! Change the trajectory of the digital future
October
21.10.2021 – Digital utopia or dystopia? The choice is yours
September
23.9.2021– 65% of children today will work in jobs that don’t exist today! 😳
August
19.8.2021 – The internet doesn’t ‘work’ unless you do 😳
July
28.7.2021 – A new digital profession + ways to shape your career 🤓
8.7.2021 – Is endless growth a myth? 🧐
June
17.6.2021 – Growth opportunities: Awards, careers & financial support
May
31.5.2021 – This is one worth clicking: Annual report, free tickets & startup days
6.5.2021 – 10 trending startups, shape a new profession & events for you
April
16.4.2021 – A new President for digitalswitzerland, Leap Demo Day & more!
March
25.3.2021 – Coding Camps for kids & awards for educators
2.3.2021 – We’re hiring and discover our new look and feel
February
6.2.2021 – Young talents, promising startups and much, much more
January
29.1.2021 – Let’s make Switzerland a leading digital innovation hub!
7.1.2021 – New Year, same mission
digitalswitzerland is pleased to present new research conducted by AMOSA (Arbeitsmarktbeobachtung Ostschweiz, Aargau, Zug und Zürich) on career changers who choose to re-skill or upskill in ICT professions. digitalswitzerland concludes that career changers are an important segment of the ICT labour market that need more attention.
The problem of the shortage of skilled workers in ICT professions will not solve itself – new forms of career entry are needed. In this context, career changers are of great importance, as a new publication by AMOSA shows.
In 2020, around 243,000 people were employed in ICT occupations in Switzerland. Since 2010, ICT employment has seen an impressive growth of around 50%, compared to an average growth of only 10% in all non-ICT occupations. Despite this tremendous growth, there is a high demand for ICT professionals.
According to current forecasts by the Institute for Economic Studies (IWSB), the future demand for ICT specialists cannot be met either by immigration or by the Swiss education system. It is clear that lateral entrants are in demand. To create a sustainable path for a successful transition into the growing ICT industry, it is worth taking a look at some key figures.
Career changers in ICT professions are surprisingly common. Only one in three ICT professionals originally started their careers in the same profession. While some of them came from related ICT professions, nearly half of ICT professionals began their careers outside the ICT field.
The significance of these figures can be seen in a direct comparison with other professions, which are also affected by a shortage of skilled workers: Among the 25 occupations with the highest shortage of skilled workers, the proportion of career changers reaches just 37 percentage points. This shows two things: First, ICT is and will remain a sector with a promising future. Second, the doors in ICT are open and the profiles are diverse.
Although career mobility in ICT professions is widespread compared to other professions, there are still significant differences between the various ICT professions: Career changes are very common today, for example, among instructors in the field of information technology (proportion of career changers: 93%), managers in the field of ICT services (91%) or technicians for ICT operations and user support (86%). In contrast, graphic and multimedia designers are comparatively more likely to remain in their originally learned profession – only 42% are career changers.
A striking diversity of original occupations can be observed among career changers. Apart from workers who were initially trained in another ICT occupation, a significant proportion of today’s software and application developers or analysts originally began their careers in related technical fields, for example, as engineers (13%) or electrical installers and mechanics (3%), but also in non-technical occupations as office clerks (3%) or business administration specialists (3%).
Among those now working as ICT operations and user support technicians, transitions from other ICT occupations are common: Many workers originally learned a profession in software and application developers or analysts (10%) or other ICT professionals (8%). However, career changes from non-technical occupations such as office administrator (9%) or salesperson (3%) also occur relatively frequently.
A significant proportion of these occupational changes are transitions from occupations with similar skill levels and require retraining rather than upskilling. But transitions from occupations with lower or higher skill levels are not uncommon either – especially among those who now work as ICT operations and user support technicians. The fact is: with targeted re-skilling or upskilling, new pathways into IT can open up for less qualified employees.
While older age groups and women are (still) underrepresented in ICT occupations, they are more likely than younger age groups and men to have come to this field from occupations unrelated to the subject.
This is an indication of the urgency of promoting women in STEM fields (mathematics, information technology, natural sciences, technology). This is because women can be recruited for computer science even from professions outside the field: the potential for women to enter the field in Switzerland is therefore high. With targeted support for girls in STEM fields, this potential could be tapped at an earlier stage – turning career changers into entrants.The differences between the age groups can be explained primarily by the fact that older workers have been in the workforce longer and have therefore had more time for reorientation and further training. In addition, the hurdles for career changers may have increased in recent years due to more specific and higher job requirements.
This is why Lifelong learning becomes all the more important. The numbers show: The need is great, but so are the demands. But a career change is feasible.
Ensuring a high-performing digital workforce of the future drives our activities. Education and lifelong learning sit at the heart of this. We are committed to offering easily accessible resources in upskilling, reskilling and training. We also work to spotlight the importance of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) when it comes to our future skilled workforce. Supporting learners of all ages is a key commitment of our mission to make Switzerland a leading digital innovation hub.
Offers from digitalswitzerland such as the lifelonglearning.ch platform and the Boost Programme provide the necessary support for this.
More Information on AMOSA and their latest publications can be found here.
The digitalisation industry suffered from the crises of 2001 and 2008. In 2020, it is flourishing. Office work becomes remote work. Paper-based processes become online workflows. Factories and supply chains continue to run thanks to automation. We are about to take a 10-year leap into the future. This will shower us with productivity gains. We can even offset our covid costs this way.
In the spring of 2020, a letter from the venture fund Sequoia on the Covid crisis circulated in the tech industry. Memories of the 2001 and 2008 crises resonated. Sequoia suggested: Batten down the hatches. Prepare for the storm. Downsize.
I understand Sequoia’s letter. I lived and worked in Silicon Valley from 1998 to 2007 and through both crises. The dot-com crisis wiped out almost all start-ups in Silicon Valley. Streets and restaurants were empty, similar to the Covid crisis. Then there was the shock of 9/11. I left my employer McKinsey & Co and turned around a company. I lowered the cost base, built a new product and attracted investment.
From this experience, I founded Zattoo in 2005. I picked up the pace. There was a lot of interest in our offering. We expanded. We hired. We were a small sensation.
The financial crisis of 2008 came abruptly. All startups, not just Zattoo, were hit without warning because they didn’t have time to scan the environment for macro threats. Startups are fully occupied with user growth, product design, revenue growth and building the organisation.
Since there was no more venture capital available in the market, I even sold my flat in San Francisco in January 2009 to pay Zattoo’s content bill. The money was sitting between the US and Switzerland for about two months because the banks didn’t trust each other any more. I was able to pledge shares to raise cash for the company. I was able to convince Tamedia (now TX Ventures) to come in. With inventiveness and cost discipline, we were finally able to gain a foothold in 2010. Zattoo has since grown organically as an SME by about 20-30% a year.
After overcoming this crisis, I built up Zattoo’s Board of Directors. As president until 2019, I dedicated myself to, among other things, keeping the company crisis-resistant and recognising danger signals in advance. I hoarded cash to be able to help the company in case of an emergency. The TX Group took over the majority in April 2019. I relinquished the presidency. We continue to develop the company together.
When I first heard about Covid in January 2020, I was initially spooked. Memories of 2001 and 2008 flared up. I asked myself: How can Zattoo cope with the impending pandemic? The pandemic could lead the advertising industry to curb, delay, rebook or stop its spending. The cloud systems of Zattoo and the telecom industry were not designed to run autonomously for long periods of time. Even worse developments were conceivable.
I consulted my acquaintances, including an executive from McKinsey & Company China in February 2020. In conversation, we came up with a predicted decline in GDP to -3%, and Swiss GDP actually fell to about -3%.
It looked even more threatening in the short term, but it recovered during 2020. It recovered because we were able to keep working thanks to digitalisation. There was no need for an emergency programme at Zattoo or many tech companies. On the contrary, the tech industry was booming.
In the short term, innovations are overrated. The dot-com crisis of 2001 was a crisis of disillusionment, so to speak. In the long term, however, innovations are underestimated. In 2020, thanks to digitalisation, we have just lived through the first crisis in which we were soft-bedded by robots: a moment for the history books.
The economy, education, health, defence, finance, transport and energy were more crisis-resistant in 2020 thanks to digitalisation. Digitalisation is finally in full bloom:
The cloud allows collaborative work on letters, presentations, spreadsheets and more. It relieves us of server administration and provides better load distribution and higher availability than if we administered the servers ourselves.
The cloud is growing rapidly. Office work is increasingly done on Google Docs or with Microsoft Office 365 in the cloud. Privately, over a billion people now use the Apple Cloud. For all loads that are elastic or fluctuating, and for all workpieces that are handled by several actors at the same time, the cloud makes sense.
Zattoo itself offers examples of cloud services: Instead of storing recordings locally, our viewers access our cloud. Ideally, only one master copy is needed of many recordings that would all be the same. This saves money. Our B2B customer base (telecommunications and cable companies) also uses cloud services: instead of feeding TV signals from satellites via so-called headends themselves, they use our cloud service. Out of many thousands of headends in Europe, which all do roughly the same thing, it will ultimately take a handful in the cloud. Since each headend involves an investment of about CHF 10 million and ongoing costs, this saves a lot of money.
Online retail and delivery services are growing strongly and sustainably. Once users have broken old habits, opened a user account and ordered online, it is easy for them to order the pre-configured shopping basket again. Once they have practised the new behaviour, they stick with it.
GDP fell by CHF 25 billion in 2020; it will rise in 2021. A capital injection of CHF 70 billion flowed from the federal treasury. Let’s take this sum as a yardstick and ignore how this money from the economy ends up back in the state, because it will sooner or later. Let’s see if we can make it up in 10 years: That would be CHF 7 billion per year, or 1% of the gross national product in Switzerland of about CHF 700 billion.
This is possible: Assuming 700,000 remote workers, this amounts to CHF 10,000 per capita per year. We can achieve savings in these areas:
For Switzerland, remote working can be the salvation from our graphical constraints. Employees can be geographically distributed throughout Switzerland or abroad. We no longer need to limit recruitment to a 100km radius around the workplace. Remote working opens up a larger pool of candidates for recruitment and promotes diversity and specialization. With remote working, it becomes cheaper to establish a startup in Switzerland.
Remote work increases employee satisfaction. Deloitte-Switzerland studies from 2020 and 2021 show: A majority of employees want to work in a hybrid way and by no means want to give up the benefits of remote working. Employees have lost a considerable amount of time commuting – they no longer want to bear this burden. They enjoy the freedom of working in places with low costs and high quality of life – this opens up new perspectives. They save time through fewer obligatory business trips. Remote work makes it easier for women to re-enter the world of work by allowing them to divide their time between the office and home.
Remote work preferences are not the same across age groups, and they also differ between industries and countries. In Japan, the loss of the “presence culture” is a major challenge. An anecdote from Japan was brought to my attention. A boss had never organised a video conference from home and asked if it would be possible for his assistants to help with this task. This type of work was always done in the office by specialists. For traditional bosses, remote work is a challenge.
There have been other times: in 2013, the then boss of Yahoo, Marissa Mayer, was still trying to get employees away from remote working. “Innovation happens in the pressure cooker of Yahoo’s development centre in Silicon Valley,” is how I would summarize her words. She saw innovation as a contact sport. Innovation is now possible online because the tools of work have improved.
The IT industry is now seizing the opportunity to offer employees attractive working conditions with remote working. It is by far the best prepared for this. Other sectors have also discovered that remote working works. Security is better than feared. So far, no new data has emerged from private banking.
Corona has done more to accelerate the digitalisation of Switzerland than all the digital initiatives we have had so far. From maybe 10’000 remote workers in Switzerland before the Covid crisis, we have made a leap to over 1 million (out of a total workforce of almost 5 million). When we talk about 700’000 remote jobs over the next 10 years, we understand the scale of change.
The digitalswitzerland initiative, the CH++ science initiative, Open Data Switzerland, the industry association asut and others can help us carry the momentum from covid digitisation. They can contribute to the flourishing of Switzerland with inspiration and know-how transfer.
We know this: a clever strategy is announced, and we fudge about it because we like it differently. Does our force of habit now nullify the benefits of COVID digitization? Shall we return to box 1?
Let’s start with ourselves. We’ve learned how to organise ourselves in a home office. A zoom room would be ideal. We’ve learned to cook food, plant seeds, bake bread. Ideally, we would have our own garden. We travel more individually, less in groups. A camper would be perfect.
We improvise in the way we teach. An age-appropriate mix of face-to-face and online teaching would be ideal:
We may say to ourselves, “my stock portfolio has gone up, my real estate is worth more now, I don’t need to put up with the new world of work.” Or we’ve been ruined and can’t do it anymore. The Covid crisis is causing older workers in particular to leave the workforce.
For us to reap the benefits of digitalisation, we need to break the habit of returning to old-fashioned offices where we wear headphones to work intently. Instead, let’s reinvent offices and embrace the remote working opportunity that served us well during the Covid crisis.
About Bea Knecht
Bea Knecht digitalises media services with her start-ups Zattoo, Genistat and Levuro. Genistat employs experts in media data science. Levuro employs experts in social media engagement. Wingman is a VC fund she supports: By Entrepreneurs, For Entrepreneurs. Bea Knecht serves on the boards of the Society for Marketing and CH++ and is a member of the Federal Media Commission. She is a recipient of the IAB Lifetime Award, the Best of Swiss Web Award and the Emmy Award.
Continuing education doesn’t just take place in school. Roughly 20 companies have already gifted up to 4 hours of continuing education time per week during the 6 weeks leading up to Digital Day. This is donated time in which new skills can be acquired or existing ones sharpened. Is your company also taking part?
Companies can sign up here to make a symbolic commitment.
At 61.1 years, the average age of older employees in information and communications technology (ICT) is comparatively low. This is the conclusion of a recent study by digitalswitzerland on mobilising the potential of skilled workforce.
Even before the regular retirement age is reached, valuable workforce potential is lost – this must be prevented in view of the high shortage of skilled workers in ICT. The study shows measures that companies and policymakers can take to keep skilled professionals in the workforce longer.
The Boost Programme started as a pilot in 2020, allowing around 100 participants to apply and benefit from co-financing for training courses in the field of digital skills. In the second part of this blog series, we take a look back on the impact of the programme for employers and candidates.
The aim of the #LifelongLearning Initiative, of which the Boost Programme is a vital part, is to make the Swiss population aware of the urgency to pursue lifelong learning, particularly in view of the increasing digitalisation of the world. It is important to take all people, young and old, along the path of digital transformation and to achieve full employment in the years to come.
To address the working population, the Initiative focused on diversity (age, gender, languages, regions, job descriptions, educational qualifications, industries, etc.). It contributed to both maintaining the competitiveness of Switzerland as a business location, and to supporting a future full of opportunities for Swiss employees. This included small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), to large companies.
The Boost Programme aimed to build on the solid foundations of the #LifelongLearning initiative and to support Swiss employees and employers by co-financing short, concrete training courses in the field of digital skills. To this end, a partnership with the Hirschmann Foundation and the Gebert Rüf Foundation was built for 2020 and in 2021/2022 with UBS.
Employees of organisations which signed the #LifelongLearning initiative’s pledge, as well as Swiss SMEs and Swiss independent workers were also included, to support digital upskilling and reskilling during the COVID-19 crisis.
With the co-financing of the Boost Programme, we created an incentive for people to access lifelong learning for a value of five times the amount of co-financing that the programme invested. 56% of applicants were men and 44% women, across all age groups. By far the most applications for co-financing came from the smallest of businesses. 45% of employers supported upskilling with cash out and/or training during working hours, whereas 55% of employees invested more than the employer did.
One third of participants would not have engaged in lifelong learning within the next 6 months without the co-financing provided by Boost.
A survey of Boost participants showed that employees would like employers to provide more time for lifelong learning during working hours. The survey also indicates that beneficiaries were very happy with the programme and its co-financing mechanism. Importantly, one third of participants would not have engaged in lifelong learning within the next 6 months without the co-financing provided by Boost.
This activating effect was impactful since two thirds of all survey participants said they expect their training to have a significant positive effect on their work life and career i.e. a higher chance for a promotion or the ability to enter a new (digital) industry. Thanks to these positive, motivating experiences and the easy sign-up process, all participants either recommended the programme to friends, family and colleagues or would do so in future.
The Boost Programme started as a pilot in 2020, allowing around 100 participants to apply and benefit from co-financing.
Programme beneficiaries engaged in training, ranging from upskilling in the field of cyber security, digital user experience design and digital marketing to AI-based business models, project management for digital products, data-driven fundraising for NGOs, digital ethics and more.
Another noteworthy finding from the Boost survey is the fact that none of the survey participants were able to name another, comparable support programme for lifelong learning even though other offerings exist. The survey suggests that the simple, easy and transparent process of the Boost Programme was one element why beneficiaries appreciated the programme and recommended it to others, leading to more engagement in lifelong learning and digital upskilling.
Supported by UBS, the focus of the Boost Programme for 2021 and 2022 complements the previous proven programme for general digital upskilling. A new focus is to attract candidates from the low-skilled workforce to learn digital skills and basic competences. Research from SBFI indicates that the lower-qualified workforce is less likely to engage in lifelong learning compared to other populations. The Boost Programme is committed to improving this situation.
Sign up here until September 2022: lifelonglearning.ch.
Read our first blog post on application criteria and what to expect here.
Do you have goal to learn basic and more advanced digital skills? Are you keen to remain competent in your job role as rapid digitalisation continues to transforms our lives? The Boost Programme “Your opportunity to remain competent” offers Swiss workers the opportunity to acquire digital skills and basic competences through conditional co-financing.
We believe that to strengthen the opportunity of career progression and future success, Swiss workers must have a basic level of digital competences within their grasp. That is why the digitalswitzerland Boost Programme 2021 and 2022, with the support of UBS, will scale up to create more impact and upskill even more workers.
The programme for the next two years will complement the previous proven programme for general digital upskilling. A new second track will focus on attracting candidates from the low-skilled workforce. Data from SBFI suggests that the lower-qualified workforce is less likely to engage in lifelong learning compared to other populations. We hope to double the percentage of people (from approximately 30% to 60%) who gain new skills as a direct result of engagement with the Boost Programme.
It is imperative for Swiss workers to become proficient in digital skills to compete within Switzerland and on the global stage. If workers become stagnant in their knowledge base and in digital skills, they risk becoming locked into roles. The result is that career progression can be extremely difficult, if not impossible. There is an added risk of job loss as digitalisation, automation and new technologies continue to shape our lives and replace job roles. This is why the main focus for the Boost programme during 2021 and 2022 will be on the provision of basic digital skills. This complementary focus is appropriate for the following reasons:
If you are interested in the Boost programme, visit lifelonglearning. Entrants can fill out an online application form, with the application phase will run until September 2022.
To continue your exploration of Swiss-wide courses on digital upskilling, visit weiterbildung.swiss. You can also watch a collection of more than 100 video testimonials on lifelonglearning.ch.
For inquiries on The Boost Programme, or our work in Education & Skilled Workforce, please contact Mattia Balsiger, Analyst Education & Skilled Workforce: mattia@digitalswitzerland.com
As of today, the Boost Programme is once again supporting the development of digital skills among employees in companies throughout Switzerland. With the help of conditional co-funding, opportunities for further qualification in an increasingly digital economy are open to all employees.
The focus of the Boost Programme this year is on low-skilled employees and the promotion of basic digital skills. It is supported by digitalswitzerland and UBS.
DE: https://lifelonglearning.ch/boost/
FR: https://lifelonglearning.ch/fr/boost/
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