News 
Active throughout Switzerland, the LIFT programme supports young people during a pivotal period in their lives: the transition from school to the working world. Since 2006, LIFT has been cooperating with partner secondary schools to prevent unemployment by offering young people aged 13 to 15 (9th to 11th grade) the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the working world through early professional experience in the form of weekly work placements.
By spending two to three hours a week for three months in a local company where they perform simple, rewarding and useful tasks, young people gain practical experience and thereby strengthen their professional and personal skills. In return, they receive a salary of 5 to 8 Swiss francs per hour rewarding them for their extra-curricular commitment. Throughout the programme, students receive specific educational support from their teachers, who are themselves supervised and supported by the LIFT competence centre and regional teams.
Currently, some 5,000 Swiss companies offer weekly work placements to students and 390 schools across the country have adopted LIFT, including 82 in French-speaking Switzerland. The cantons of Geneva, Vaud, Fribourg, and Neuchâtel have been actively involved in the program since 2011. The initiative will soon be extended to Biel/Bienne and Saint-Imier, enabling more young people to benefit from a helping hand facilitating direct and seamless entry into the working world. The programme has proven its worth and demonstrated its effectiveness: in 2024, 68.4% of young people who benefited from LIFT found a vocational training solution (CFC/AFP) directly after completing their compulsory education, while 30.9% moved on to another solution.
Many stakeholders are committed to supporting LIFT, which is unique in its role as a bridge between schools and the business world. The programme is supported by the Swiss Confederation, certain cantons and associations of municipalities, as well as various foundations and companies.
In 2022, the Swiss watch industry employers’ association highlighted a worrying shortage of professionals, particularly in technical trades. LIFT responds to these issues by offering a simple and effective solution. The weekly work placements offer several advantages. For companies, they are an opportunity to showcase professions that are sometimes little known, to identify motivated future apprentices and to forge lasting links with schools in their region with a view to securing the next generation of employees. For young people, these first professional experiences allow them to familiarise themselves with the codes of the working world, develop their self-confidence and confirm their interest in a sector. Through these exchanges, LIFT promotes win-win encounters between young people, schools and businesses, facilitating professional integration and enhancing the attractiveness of technical training and professions.
LIFT schools are always looking for new partners, particularly in the watchmaking sector. If you are keen to support young people in your region and contribute to preparing the next generation of your industry, please contact the regional manager for French-speaking Switzerland (emilie.vuilleumier@projet-lift.ch). She will direct you to a LIFT school in your region.
May 22, 2025