From school to productive work

the long version

Switzerland is universally respected for its highly successful economy - not simply its banks and cuckoo clocks, but its precision engineering, pharmaceuticals, and manufactured food industries. it has long enjoyed low unemployment, and an exceptionally successful transition process for youngsters from school to work. This book provides a 'nuts-and-bolts' comparison with Britain of how that more successful transition is brought about. It explains the different emphases of Swiss secondary schooling: more time on mathematics and, within mathematics, more on arithmetic; in science lessons, less time on pupils' individual experimentation and more on documentation by the teacher of central scientific laws; in lessons on technology and practical subjects, less time on pupils' individual creations and more on class-wide specified tasks - whether in woodwork or domestic science - aimed at high standards of finish. Career guidance at school including periods of work experience with potential employers who provide apprenticeships (in contrast to current British policy, where spells of work experience are deliberately not with potential employers). Apprenticeships are undertaken in Switzerland by three quarters of all school leavers, and are completed with external practical and written tests. A final chapter discusses current developments and lessons for Britain.