Compared to other European countries, Switzerland has a comparatively low number of students completing the academic stream at the upper secondary level (“Gymnasium”). The – in terms of student enrolment – most important stream at this level of the educational system is vocational education and training, which enrols more than two thirds of students passing out from the lower secondary level. Most of them take up apprenticeship training which is being offered by companies in more than 250 occupations in industry, trades, commerce, domestic service, agriculture and the health sector (OPET, 2008). In Switzerland, apprenticeship training is a combination of education and work in the training company and education in a vocational school. Usually, the dual VET system is regarded as one oft the most effective and efficient ways to provide employers with a skilled workforce and to enable young people to successfully enter the labour market (Dubs, 2006). In order to increase educational mobility of the graduates of vocational education programmes, the government introduced the professional baccalaureate (“Berufsmatura”), which opens up new pathways into tertiary education. Apprenticeship can thus be combined with professional baccalaureate courses that provide qualifications allowing the students to enter universities of applied sciences. Through this reform, vocational education and training programmes tremendously contribute to the expansion of the tertiary education system in Switzerland. Nevertheless, as a consequence of international comparative studies like OECD reports that criticise the comparatively small size of the university system, there is, however, a debate to reduce the enrolments into vocational education and training in upper secondary education for the benefit of the academic stream at this level of the education system (e.g. Sheldon, 2008; Zimmerli, Malaguerra, Künzli & Fischer, 2009).
Until now, studies on transition to tertiary education have mainly focussed on the academic branch (transition to university after completing high school). Research on the transition of vocational education graduates into tertiary education, particularly into the universities of applied sciences is, however, rare. This paper aims at contributing to close this gap.
The main question discussed in this paper centres around the determinants of transition into tertiary education after completing apprenticeship training: Which factors determine entering into a tertiary education after completing apprenticeship training? Which factors determine entering into a non-academic tertiary education (higher vocational training)? Which factors determine entering into university of applied sciences? Which impact have the PISA reading literacy scores, migrant background, gender and occupation sector on the decision to start an tertiary education? And which impact has the satisfaction in regard to education and training during apprenticeship training?

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