The educational tradition in Switzerland – like in many other countries - is characterized by a differentiation between academic oriented general education and vocational education and training.

The Swiss apprenticeship has a long tradition and was explicitly designed as an alternative to academic learning. At first, it was surprising when in the 1980s the claim was filed to integrate further academic learning within vocational education in order to strengthen the VET strand (Berufsbildung). Such a hybridization of VET corresponded to some theoretical and practical claims of single educational experts and companies, but not to the mainstream demands of educational policy.

Therefore, at first this demand was taken up rather hesitantly before it became a successful and widely accepted alternative to the traditional system.

Initially, hybrid qualifications developed almost exclusively on the level of upper-secondary education in connection with the establishment of additional subjects on a voluntarily basis for high-performing students. This reform was connected with the possibility of obtaining access to Universities of Applied Sciences (UAS) (Fachhochschulen) via VET at the beginning of the 1990s. With that, according to the definition of hybrid qualifications, a so-called “hub” was created that provides occupational qualification and, additionally, an access to higher tertiary education on the basis of a dual apprenticeship.

The breakthrough of such an alternative to traditional VET and Baccalaureate schools (Gymnasien) occured with the establishment of the Federal Vocational Baccalaureate (FVB) (Berufsmaturität). In 1993, an existing federal amendement (Berufsmittelschulverordnung) was modified which opened now the access to Universities of Applied Sciences for apprentices with supplementary general education. Finally, a higher status of these former higher vocational education colleges was established and legalized in a federal act in 1995 (Fachhochschulgesetz).

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