Vocational trainer course: Experience report by training consultant Martina Rauch - gaining initial management experience as a vocational trainer

Martina Rauch

Please introduce yourself briefly and tell us about your career.

I'm Martina Rauch and I work at SIU in the Education Advice and Communication department. Among other things, we offer the retail trade vocational training course at our school.

Who is the target group for the retail trade vocational trainer course?

The target group for the vocational trainer course are people who have completed an apprenticeship in the retail trade and are looking to take the next step in their career by gaining their first management experience. They attend the course in order to be able to take over the supervision of apprentices as vocational trainers.

What are the admission requirements for the vocational trainer course?

In principle, the vocational trainer course does not have any admission requirements that must be met. However, it would be good if future vocational trainers have completed the apprenticeship as a retail specialist themselves in order to be able to train the apprentices appropriately. The EBA is also sufficient for this. However, a permit is still required from the canton to train apprentices, which ultimately decides whether the EBA is sufficient or not. Ultimately, we have no influence over this.

What exactly do you learn on a vocational training course?

The vocational trainer course lasts five days and a different topic is covered each day:

• Dealing with learners
• Legal basis
• Teaching and learning
• Requirement profile and selection
• Assessment of learners

What is the approximate cost of the vocational trainer course?

The vocational trainer course costs around 800 francs. At the end of the course, participants receive the cantonal certificate as a vocational trainer. This is valid throughout Switzerland.

Why should you attend the vocational trainer course at SIU?

SIU is very well known in the retail industry and we have a lot of experience in the area of retail training. We have many good lecturers on the vocational training course who have practical experience from the industry. This enriches the lessons with current examples from everyday life. In addition, we do not buy our teaching materials for the vocational trainer course off the shelf, but develop them ourselves and update them on an ongoing basis.

What locations does the SIU have?

SIU offers the vocational trainer course throughout German-speaking Switzerland - mainly in Berne and Zurich.

Overview of schools for vocational trainers (vocational trainer course)