Full-time vocational schools (Lehrwerkstätten, écoles de métiers)

What is a full-time vocational school?

A Lehrwerkstätte (école de métiers, scuola d'arti e mestieri) trains apprentices in its own workshops and studios. You do the same federal training programme as a company-based apprentice, but the practical part happens at school, on school orders and real client projects. It exists mostly in mechanics, electronics, automation, watchmaking, IT, design, carpentry and other crafts.

These schools suit teenagers who love practical, hands-on work but have not found a host company, want a wider range of trades than local firms offer, or prefer learning a craft step by step in a school workshop with teachers and other learners around them. Typical students are patient, precise and curious about how things are made — from watchmaking and automation to design, IT and carpentry. Many use the extra school time to add the Vocational Matura, which opens the door to a university of applied sciences later on.

Names across Switzerland

German

Lehrwerkstätte, Berufsfachschule mit Vollzeitangebot

French

École de métiers, école des métiers techniques

Italian

Scuola d'arti e mestieri, scuola professionale a tempo pieno

Romansh

Ovra d'emprendissadi, scola professiunala a temp plain

Admission

You apply directly to the school. Places are limited, so most schools run a selection procedure.

• Application

  Direct application to the school, usually in the autumn or winter before the start.

• Aptitude test

  Most schools run a written and/or practical aptitude test (maths, technical understanding, dexterity).

• Interview and trial days

  Many schools invite you for an interview or a couple of trial days in the workshop.

• Probationary term

  The first months are usually probationary, as in a company apprenticeship.

Duration and structure

3 to 4 years, depending on the profession — the same duration as the company-based version. Your week mixes workshop practice, professional theory and general education, all at the same institution. Many schools add internships in companies in the later years so you also get real workplace experience.

What the training is like

You usually take around 8–12 subjects each term, mixing workshop practice, vocational theory and general education (languages, maths, science, social studies). A full school day runs roughly 8 am to 4 pm, and you can expect 1–2 hours of homework or project work on most days. Assessment is continuous: practical work in the workshop, written tests, projects and a final qualification procedure. To graduate you must pass the federal qualification procedure — practical work, professional knowledge and general education — and receive the same EFZ/CFC as a company-based apprentice.

Typical fields

The offer differs by canton and school, but common fields are:

• Polymechanics, automation and production technology
• Electronics, electrical engineering and automation
• IT and mediamatics
• Watchmaking and microtechnology
• Design, graphics and interactive media
• Carpentry, joinery and metal construction
• Laboratory and chemical/biological technology

EFZ and Vocational Matura

You finish with the same federal EFZ/CFC as any apprentice in that profession — employers make no distinction. Many schools run the Vocational Matura in parallel, which gives direct access to universities of applied sciences and, via the one-year passerelle, to universities and ETH/EPFL.

What comes after

• Straight into work

  Graduates are hired in industry, workshops, studios and IT teams like any other EFZ holder.

• University of applied sciences

  With the Vocational Matura, a UAS bachelor in engineering, IT or design.

• Higher technical college (HF)

  Technician HF and federal diplomas after a few years of practice.

• Specialisation

  Additional courses and further apprenticeships in a related trade, often shortened.

Outcomes in numbers

Rough national figures for full-time vocational schools (Lehrwerkstätten / écoles de métiers). They are Swiss averages — read them as a guide, not a prediction.

School workshop or host company?

Both lead to the same EFZ. The difference is the learning environment.

Costs and support

Unlike a company apprenticeship you usually receive no wage, and cantons may charge school and material fees (residents of the school's canton often pay much less). Cantonal grants and loans (Stipendien / bourses) exist for exactly this situation — ask the school's administration or your cantonal grants office early.

Official sources

• berufsberatung.ch — Schulisch organisierte Grundbildung
• orientation.ch — Écoles de métiers
• SBFI / SEFRI — Berufliche Grundbildung
• SBFI / SEFRI — Berufsmaturität
• Stipendien / bourses — kantonale Stellen (EDK)

Find a full-time vocational school near you

Pick your canton to see the school workshops and écoles de métiers there, listed alphabetically by town. Click a school to open its website in a new tab, or tap the heart to save it to your account.

This is a selection of the best-known schools. Trades on offer change, so always check the school's own website for this year's programmes and application deadlines.

Source: berufsberatung.ch