In Switzerland and around the world, younger generations are re-assessing their career choices in response to the growing automation driven by the boom of generative artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. How is Switzerland’s renowned apprenticeship system adapting to these rapid changes? AI tools such as ChatGPT are already changing the way we work. They produce realistic images from simple descriptions, summarise large texts in seconds, draft emails or come up with marketing campaigns, copying the style of the humans who prompt them. For creative professionals, the rapid growth of so-called generative AI has often meant settling for lower salaries or, in some cases, losing work altogether, as we recently reported. Secondary school graduates in Switzerland who are choosing which field to train in are quickly catching on to these trends. Those who pursue vocational education and training – some two-thirds of all Swiss pupils – are increasingly seeking jobs that are less likely ...
