What does the day-to-day work of management assistants with a federal certificate look like?

Management assistants support managers in the areas of administration, information management, organizing meetings and events, preparing presentations and implementing projects. They are often the first point of contact for employees and external contacts.

Depending on the company, management assistants are given additional areas of responsibility, such as human resources or marketing. The proximity to management and the generally varied tasks make for an exciting job where boredom hardly ever arises. On the other hand, the limited authority to issue directives and the interface function between management and internal and external target groups are certainly a challenge in day-to-day work.

(Remember: in individual cases, the distribution/weighting/frequency of tasks may vary depending on the function/job profile and the company, company size and sector).

 

Target group and skills: Who is the professional examination for management assistants with a federal certificate suitable for? What qualities and skills are required?

The course and the professional examination for "Management Assistant" are suitable for

• Professionals with several years of experience as a management assistant who would like to prove their knowledge and skills with a federal certificate
• Employees with at least 3 or 4 years of professional experience in assistant functions in various management positions who would like to increase their career and salary opportunities with a federal specialist certificate
• Ambitious professionals with assistant functions and additional tasks, e.g. in the areas of human resources or marketing, who would like to take on more responsible tasks in the future

Management assistants should have the following personal qualities and skills:

• Organizational talent
• Planning skills
• Service awareness
• Flexibility
• Load capacity
• Communicative skills
• Team skills
• Winning appearance
• Good manners
• Confidentiality
• Reliability
• Responsible

Requirements for admission to the professional examination for management assistants with a federal certificate:

In order to be able to take the professional examination for management assistants, you must, in accordance with the examination regulations, register for the examination by the examination date:

• Have one of the following qualifications: Federal Certificate of Proficiency in Business Administration EFZ, high school diploma, vocational baccalaureate, vocational baccalaureate or equivalent qualification, as well as at least 3 years of relevant professional experience* after graduation

Or

• Have one of the following qualifications: other EFZ, federal vocational certificate as an office assistant (EBA)/office assistant (EBA) or equivalent qualification and at least 4 years of relevant professional experience after obtaining the qualification

And

• Have submitted the personal portfolio on time and in full

* Professional experience gained on a part-time basis, i.e. less than 80%, is credited pro rata.

You will find out whether you have been admitted to the professional examination at least three months before the start of the examination with a written notification including reasons in the event of rejection.

Note: Some schools are prepared to admit you to a preparatory course for the professional examination for management assistants if you do not (yet) meet the criteria for admission to the federal examination. It is your responsibility to ensure that you meet the necessary requirements at the time of the examination/examination registration. At some schools, it is also possible to attend the course without intending to take the exam (in this case, you will still receive a certificate from the school). The admission requirements vary depending on the provider.

Subject matter and content of the training

The learning content in the preparatory courses for the professional examination for management assistants with a federal certificate is based on the specifications of the sponsor of the federal examination, the Swiss Commercial Association.

The following topics are usually part of the learning material:

• German, English or French
• Business administration (BWL) and economics (VWL)
• Project management
• Risk management
• Self-management and work organization
• Time management / resource management
• Information management
• ICT / Office applications
• Finance and accounting
• Team leadership / personnel management
• Communication (oral and written)
• Conflict management
• Law
• Marketing
• Appearance, rhetoric, presentation techniques

Note: Some schools offer voluntary preliminary courses on various subjects, such as Business English and Accounting. The provider of your choice will be happy to provide you with detailed information.

 

Costs and financing of further training

The costs (apart from the external examination fee, which is determined by the sponsoring body) are determined by the schools. There may therefore be differences. In general, the following costs must be expected for the part-time management assistant further education / management assistant training, which lasts 2-4 semesters depending on the provider:

• Course feesBetween CHF 9,700 and CHF 15,550 Of this, you will receive up to 50% back from the federal government on application after the examination (regardless of the result).* Note: Members of the Kaufmännischer Verband receive a member discount of up to 10% on the course costs. For more information please contacthere.
• Examination feeThe examination fee is set by the sponsor of this professional examination or course and amounts to CHF 2,000 (as of 2023). It is paid by the candidate after admission has been confirmed.
• Some providers requireFurther costsfor
  • Preliminary courses (for example in business English or accounting)
  • Intermediate diploma of the Higher Business Diploma VSK
  • Additional certificate project manager edupool.ch
  • Enrollment
  • Teaching materials and (software) licenses
  • Training documents
  • Internal examinations and examination training
  • Simulation test

Find out directly from the provider of your choice what additional costs you can expect.

*Since 1.1.2018, preparatory courses for federal professional examinations (BP) and higher professional examinations (HFP) have been financially supported by the federal government. Graduates of these courses will therefore be reimbursed up to 50% (max. CHF 9,500 for BP, max. CHF 10,500 for HFP) of the course costs paid upon application after taking the federal examination. In exceptional cases of hardship, the federal contributions will also be paid out in advance.

Duration of study, number of lessons and learning effort

• The management assistant training program is modular and lasts 2-4 semesters, depending on the provider.
• The course comprises approx. 504 - 520 lessons, which can be attended in different time variants (day courses and evening courses) (e.g. one evening per week and on Saturdays or two evenings per week or one full day per week).
• Many schools offer a mix of face-to-face and online courses (online, hybrid teaching, blended learning) as well as self-study. You can therefore choose the format that allows you to combine further education with your family, career and free time in the best possible way.
• Thanks to the in-service training concept, you can apply and deepen the learning material in practice straight away. Nevertheless, you should allow sufficient time for preparation and follow-up of the lessons and for self-study - how much depends on your prior knowledge, working style and learning speed. We recommend that you allow at least 4-6 hours per week as a precaution.

Note: Some schools offer so-called "taster lessons". Benefit from the opportunity to gain an insight into the lessons and the learning atmosphere. These are important aspects on the way to a successful graduation. It is best to contact the school of your choice directly for a taster lesson.

Degree, diploma and title

The professional examination for management assistants with a federal certificate takes place annually, provided that at least 20 candidates meet the admission requirements, otherwise every two years. It can be held in German, French or Italian.

Candidates are notified at least 28 days before the start of the examination. The invitation includes the examination program (including the place and time of the examination and permitted aids) and the list of experts.

The federal examination is divided into five parts, which are structured as follows (type of examination, time and weighting):

1. examination support and area management (written, 5 hours, weighting: 2)

Based on challenging practical situations, the candidates work on five simulations. Particular emphasis is placed on correct and complete implementation.

2. information management (written, 1.5 hours, weighting: 2)

In this part of the exam, candidates work on a mailbox with 15 to 30 different documents (e.g. emails, letters, telephone notes, etc.), which they analyze and use to develop an action plan and justify it accordingly. The focus here is on analysing the urgency and creating prioritization criteria for the respective documents.

3. leading team members and managing personnel transactions (written, 1 hour, weighting: 1)

The starting point is a challenging practical situation on the basis of which the candidates work on a guided case study. This case work consists of two subtasks relating to one or more of the following three subject areas: Recruiting, managing and developing employees; Mastering difficult situations; Handling personnel transactions. The focus in this part of the examination is on analyzing and creating concepts and implementing them.

4. management support, divisional management and cooperation (oral, 0.75 hours, weighting: 1)

In this part of the exam, candidates solve three to five workplace-relevant situations (so-called critical incidents), for example on topics such as: meetings, events, events, project processing, data security, data protection, first-level support, etc. To do this, you conduct a role interview with an expert in which you have to describe and justify your actions in such a challenging work situation. The focus here is on two points: on the one hand, the situational management of challenging situations and, on the other hand, on technically correct, structured and addressee-oriented communication

5. self-management, personal portfolio (prepared in advance, weighting: ¼)), technical discussion (oral, 0.5 hours, weighting: ¾)

Candidates independently create a personal portfolio in which they take an in-depth look at the design of their self-management using the analysis tools "Werkschau" and "Kompetenzraster".

Exhibition:The candidates create three works on the topic: "This is how I organize my work"
Competence grid:The candidates assess their competencies themselves using a corresponding grid (with approx. 30 key questions). In addition, they have an external assessment carried out by a superior. You record your findings in a report.

The focus here is on reflecting on personal self-management and recognizing any need for action.

Based on the personal portfolio, the expert interview takes place in a second official language or English. At the beginning, the candidates present selected content from their portfolio and then answer questions from the experts. In this part of the examination, the candidates' specialist knowledge, presentation technique and ability to reflect are tested.

Diploma and title

Graduates of the professional examination receive a federal certificate and are entitled to use the federally recognized and protected title "Management Assistant with a federal certificate".

• In French "Assistante de direction avec brevet fédéral / Assistant de direction avec brevet fédéral"
• In Italian "Assistente di direzione con attestato professionale federale"
• In English (note: only a recommendation, not a protected title) "Executive Assistant, Federal Diploma of Higher Education"