Vocational fast track
Bühler is launching a new initiative that opens its dual education program to customers. Based on the Swiss vocational training model, the program allows customers to send their employees to Bühler for several weeks or months of certified, practice-oriented training in key technical disciplines. It aims to help address the shortage of skilled workers and ensure companies stay up-to-date with the latest technologies and industry developments. The first module, developed in collaboration with customers, will begin in 2026.
Bianca Richle, November 2025
As the shortage of skilled workers continues to grow, Bühler’s new initiative – offering customized, certified short-term training programs based on the Swiss dual education model – comes at the right time. The first phase includes three-week courses tailored to the needs of maintenance and service technicians. Training takes place at the state-of-the-art Bühler Energy Center in Uzwil, where theoretical teaching is closely integrated with hands-on application in real production environments.
Participants are trained by the same instructors who teach Bühler’s apprentices – instructors whose trainees consistently achieve top rankings at national and international competitions. The customer program reflects the core principles of Bühler’s apprenticeship model that has shaped Bühler’s success for more than a century. One example makes this tangible: The three-week Mechatronics course, which will be offered for the first time in 2026, combines theory and practice. Participants receive a theoretical lesson on electrical engineering from a Swiss vocational schoolteacher. Immediately afterward, under the guidance of Bühler trainers, they assemble and wire a control cabinet in a production environment and use measuring instruments to verify the values they previously calculated. This approach enables quick learning and solid retention. Throughout the course, the ratio of theory to practice is one to five.
Participants will later be able to enroll in additional specialized modules such as mechanics, project management, or process engineering. Each module can be taken individually or combined, depending on a company’s needs. Every module also includes essential topics in occupational safety and health in accordance with Swiss standards, ensuring participants acquire both technical and safety-related competencies. Upon completion of each module, participants receive a Swiss-recognized certificate confirming their newly acquired skills.
“We’re bringing the strengths of the Swiss dual education system into a scalable format for industrial needs,” says Irene Mark-Eisenring, Chief Human Resources Officer at Bühler. Bühler has successfully adapted the Swiss dual education model to a wide variety of cultural and economic contexts. Today, the company runs apprenticeship programs in Austria, Brazil, the Czech Republic, Germany, India, South Africa, and the United States. Since 2012 and 2014 respectively, the Bühler Apprentice Academies in Minnesota and North Carolina have combined theoretical instruction at community colleges with hands-on training at Bühler’s production sites.
This extensive experience across different markets enables Bühler’s vocational training team to tailor its continuing education modules to customer needs. The Mechatronics module was chosen as the first to launch in 2026, based on customer feedback. Additional modules will be prioritized and introduced step by step, depending on demand. Bühler has already received initial inquiries from customers eager to roll out this initiative in other countries, and concepts for international expansion are currently being developed.
Switzerland’s dual education system is internationally recognized for its close integration of theory and practice. Around 70 percent of Swiss students choose an apprenticeship in one of over 230 accredited professions. This contributes to the country’s exceptionally low youth unemployment rate of under 4 percent. “The economic success of Switzerland, and of Bühler, is closely linked to the dual education system,” explains Sonja Studer, Head of Education at Swissmem, the leading association of Switzerland’s technology industry.
With this new dual continuing education program for industry, Bühler is now extending this Swiss vocational excellence to its customers. Developed in close collaboration with Bühler’s business units and a Swiss vocational school, the program is designed to be modular and scalable — helping industrial customers build competencies, drive innovation, and shape the future of manufacturing.
Bühler has been committed to vocational education since 1915, when the company trained its first apprentices. Since then, more than 8,400 young professionals have completed their training in Switzerland alone. Today, it supports over 520 apprentices worldwide – 40 percent of them outside Switzerland. Apprenticeship programs are currently offered at 26 locations across Europe, North and South America, Africa, and Asia. With this new initiative, Bühler is now extending its vocational training expertise to its customers.
Interested in learning more?
Contact us at: ausbildung@buhlergroup.com
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Uzwil
9240
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