Page 111 - Štremfel, Urška, and Maša Vidmar (eds.). 2018. Early School Leaving: Contemporary European Perspectives. Ljubljana: Pedagoški inštitut.
P. 111
the esl situation in switzerland
Compensation national measures, so-called Time-out interventions,
are being implemented in ever more cantons (having started in 2001).
Students are excluded from school for up to three months to attend projects
that provide them with educational and pastoral support from craftsmen,
social workers and/or special educators. The aim of these projects is to rein-
tegrate young people back into school, either their existing school or a new
one (Kendall and Kinder, 2005). Two guidebooks called “Clés pour l’ado-
lescence” (Keys for teens) and “Clés pour l’action” (Keys for taking steps)
that were published in Switzerland tested tools for preventing ESL aimed
at students, teachers and parents. These guides allow students and teachers
to work on self-confidence, the classroom climate, communication and ac-
tive listening. As a tool of personal development for youth, it is mostly used
when they move from primary to secondary school and it also intends to
attract parents to school (Thibert, 2013).
Career education and guidance is explicitly considered as a prevention,
intervention and compensation measure for tackling ESL (EC/EACEA/
Eurydice/Cedefop, 2014). Each canton in Switzerland has its own regula-
tions on career education and guidance. Guidance is reinforced during the
transition from lower to upper secondary education or at the end of com-
pulsory education to encourage and motivate education beyond the com-
pulsory stage. Accordingly, the early tracking and streaming of students
into different educational paths takes place at the end of primary educa-
tion, making supporting transitions by providing guidance quite critical
in the Swiss education system. As a rule, this guidance includes close col-
laboration with external specialised centres for vocational and career guid-
ance. (ibid.). Bauer and Riphahn (2006) examined cantonal variations in
the age of tracking in interaction with parental education and showed that
late tracking reduces the relative advantage of privileged children.
In Switzerland, the vocational route has a high status and is fully inte-
grated with specific enterprises, whereby the close links between the train-
ing provider and the enterprise help to retain more young people. One key
factor identified for helping young people to find appropriate opportunities
to stay in education and training is the variety of vocational schools, inter-
mediate and technical vocational schools, pre-vocational schools, transi-
tion and access courses leading to apprentice training (Kendall & Kinder,
2005). At the end of compulsory education, the majority (more than 70%) of
Swiss young people attend vocational training (Pagnossin, 2011). Thus, only
a minority of students (around 20%) pursue academic studies while the
111
Compensation national measures, so-called Time-out interventions,
are being implemented in ever more cantons (having started in 2001).
Students are excluded from school for up to three months to attend projects
that provide them with educational and pastoral support from craftsmen,
social workers and/or special educators. The aim of these projects is to rein-
tegrate young people back into school, either their existing school or a new
one (Kendall and Kinder, 2005). Two guidebooks called “Clés pour l’ado-
lescence” (Keys for teens) and “Clés pour l’action” (Keys for taking steps)
that were published in Switzerland tested tools for preventing ESL aimed
at students, teachers and parents. These guides allow students and teachers
to work on self-confidence, the classroom climate, communication and ac-
tive listening. As a tool of personal development for youth, it is mostly used
when they move from primary to secondary school and it also intends to
attract parents to school (Thibert, 2013).
Career education and guidance is explicitly considered as a prevention,
intervention and compensation measure for tackling ESL (EC/EACEA/
Eurydice/Cedefop, 2014). Each canton in Switzerland has its own regula-
tions on career education and guidance. Guidance is reinforced during the
transition from lower to upper secondary education or at the end of com-
pulsory education to encourage and motivate education beyond the com-
pulsory stage. Accordingly, the early tracking and streaming of students
into different educational paths takes place at the end of primary educa-
tion, making supporting transitions by providing guidance quite critical
in the Swiss education system. As a rule, this guidance includes close col-
laboration with external specialised centres for vocational and career guid-
ance. (ibid.). Bauer and Riphahn (2006) examined cantonal variations in
the age of tracking in interaction with parental education and showed that
late tracking reduces the relative advantage of privileged children.
In Switzerland, the vocational route has a high status and is fully inte-
grated with specific enterprises, whereby the close links between the train-
ing provider and the enterprise help to retain more young people. One key
factor identified for helping young people to find appropriate opportunities
to stay in education and training is the variety of vocational schools, inter-
mediate and technical vocational schools, pre-vocational schools, transi-
tion and access courses leading to apprentice training (Kendall & Kinder,
2005). At the end of compulsory education, the majority (more than 70%) of
Swiss young people attend vocational training (Pagnossin, 2011). Thus, only
a minority of students (around 20%) pursue academic studies while the
111
