An alliance between Mexico and Switzerland has been set up to help improve training prospects for young people. It’s come after an official visit by Swiss president and education minister Johann Schneider-Ammann.

The Mexican government has been showing great interest in the Swiss vocational training system, where apprentices learn a trade. It’s hoped an alliance between Swiss companies in Mexico and the government can help to firmly establish apprenticeships in the country.

Although Mexico has been seeing strong economic growth for years and many international companies have set up shop in the country creating hundreds of thousands of jobs, youth unemployment remains a serious problem.

According to Schneider-Ammann the education system is one of the main causes for this problem. He also pointed out that in Switzerland the high levels of employment are strongly connected to the vocational training system, a fact that truly impressed Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto.

The legal basis for introducing apprenticeships in Mexico was created after a pilot project developed in 2015. Nevertheless, Schneider-Ammann stated that “The Swiss system cannot simply be copied. It was refined over the course of years with companies leading the way.”

There are around 400 Swiss companies in Mexico, and they have been showing interest in the skilled workforce they could benefit from with a dual-education system.

The Swiss embassy in the country will co-ordinate the alliance between 10 Swiss firms as the government moves to get apprenticeships fully functioning. It is estimated that these companies will offer training places to around 200 apprentices within the framework of the Mexican system.

Mexico is the latest country to show an interest in Switzerland’s famed vocational training system. The US has long shown an interest and in 2015 moved to make more efforts to work together on the issue. The UK has also tried to see if it too can better combine work experience with practical learning.

Source: SWI