Refugee, Asylum Beat Jans recognizes successful integration pre-apprenticeship
During a visit to a company in the canton of Fribourg, Federal Councillor Beat Jans acknowledged the important role of pre-apprenticeship integration. In the so-called INVOL, refugees and immigrants are prepared for basic vocational training over the course of a year.
28.10.2025, 12:16
SDA
In the view of the federal government, pre-apprenticeships make a valuable contribution to integration and the training of skilled workers in Switzerland. The authorities base their assessment on an evaluation commissioned by the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM). Jans presented the most important results to the media on Tuesday during a visit to an electrical engineering company in Villars-sur-Glâne FR.
According to the evaluation, 83 percent of participants successfully complete the INVOL and 70 percent of them start a basic vocational training course immediately afterwards. According to the SEM, 86% of them completed their training within three years. Early departures are mainly due to a lack of aptitude for the profession, a lack of language skills, health problems or family difficulties.
The program not only helps to strengthen professional skills, but also promotes social integration. At the same time, domestic recruitment helps to slow down immigration, the report continued.
The companies participating in INVOL give highly motivated young migrants the opportunity to integrate permanently into the Swiss labor market, said Jans.
The pre-apprenticeship is aimed at recognized refugees, temporarily admitted, late immigrants and people with protection status S without an upper secondary level qualification. During the one-year program, participants acquire academic and practical skills in preparation for an apprenticeship.
Since the SEM launched the pilot program in 2018, over 4,700 people have taken part in INVOL. The vast majority of them have now started or already completed an apprenticeship. 20 cantons are participating in INVOL. The Confederation and cantons want to expand the INVOL occupational fields in the coming years and increase the proportion of migrant women who complete vocational training.
