CHE to study mechanical engineering: According to Richard Scheerer, Head of Technical Training, it is important to learn not only design and calculation but also customer involvement
What is your name and what do you do for a living?
My name is Richard Scheerer. I am the Head of Technical Continuing Education at the BZWU. I manage all the technical courses and degree programs that we offer as continuing education, further training at our school. This also includes the CHE Mechanical Engineering course.
Who is the target group of the CHE Mechanical Engineering degree program?
The CHE Mechanical Engineering is a classic degree program that originated in the mechanical engineering industry. The target group for this CHE degree course are polymechanics or design engineers who wish to complete a part-time course. Compared to training at a University of Applied Sciences, most graduates of this degree program continue to work normally on the side and go to school at weekends or in the evenings.
What is the difference between CHE Mechanical Engineering and a Bachelor's degree at the University of Applied Sciences?
The CHE mechanical engineering degree has more work experience with the continuing education and training / tertiary level B degree, as the student continues to work in the company while attending the College of Higher Education. Those who are at the University of Applied Sciences and complete the Bachelor's degree are mostly studying at school. For the second option, however, a Federal Vocational Baccalaureate or a CHE mechanical engineering degree is required. The two courses have different specializations. This allows a future employer to consider whether they need more theoretical competence or practical competence combined with theoretical knowledge for the position to be filled. In terms of degree level, it no longer makes too much of a difference, as can be seen in many job advertisements where both degrees are mentioned in one sentence. However, there is a difference between Bachelor's and Master's degrees.
What are the admission requirements for this degree program?
There are two different admission requirements for the CHE in Mechanical Engineering:
- Federal VET Diploma as a polymechanic, design engineer, agricultural machinery mechanic, car mechanic, etc. and one year of professional experience
- Sur dossier admission, i.e. a review of existing training and professional experience in the sense of a specific clarification of admission (foreign nationals or persons without three years of professional training with a Federal Diploma of Vocational Education and Training)
What exactly do you learn on the CHE Mechanical Engineering course?
In the CHE Mechanical Engineering degree program, the course content is geared towards later employment as a project manager, design engineer or development manager. This mainly includes:
- Calculation, construction technology, technical basics, CAD
- Business administration and cost management
- Communication, presentation technology
- Action-related, cross-thematic projects
- Efficiency and business processes
- Management and organization
- Project Management IPMA
After completing their studies, mechanical engineering technicians CHE (since 25.10.22 mechanical engineering technicians CHE) should be able to assess the customer's needs and design and develop an optimal solution in such a way that the customer's needs are taken into account and the proposed solution is also economically interesting for all parties involved.
Why should you study CHE mechanical engineering at this school?
In addition to designing, calculating and CAD construction, we also try to make the importance of customer involvement clear to CHE mechanical engineering students. This is very important. Logically, a design engineer is expected to be able to design. However, what many designers are not good enough at as thinkers or "tinkerers", and this is where we as a training institute would like to apply leverage, is taking customer needs into account and presenting solutions to the customer. For us, a large part of the training is: CHE mechanical engineering technicians should ensure that the work they do and their understanding of it is also received by the customer.
The people behind the implementation of the federal requirements through a regulated framework curriculum from the federal government into a practice-oriented training program all have years of practical experience in the industry and therefore know what employers want and what makes a good mechanical engineer and how they can differentiate themselves.
How long does the CHE Mechanical Engineering degree course take and how much does it cost?
The CHE Mechanical Engineering course is a seven-semester course and therefore lasts three and a half years. In our special schooling model, students study on Friday evenings and all day Saturday. This means that they are fully available to the company during the week. The costs amount to around CHF 2,600 per semester including teaching materials. Cantonal subsidies are already included in this price.
Do you have to work full-time alongside your studies?
No, the minimum employment required by the regulations for CHE mechanical engineering is 50% work activity. Hardly anyone works that little. However, I recommend that students make flexible arrangements with their employer. In other words, you can agree to work 80%, 90% or even 100%. You can then work this workload flexibly - i.e. work less if your studies require more time and vice versa. A full-time workload is also possible thanks to our training days.
Which degree can be obtained by studying mechanical engineering?
The CHE Mechanical Engineering course is a diploma course consisting of three levels. The basic level includes pre-diploma examinations, the module level with diploma examinations and the diploma thesis. Students who have completed and passed all the preliminary stages and also successfully completed the diploma thesis are awarded the degree of qualified technician CHE mechanical engineering (now mechanical engineering technician CHE).
What is required for a diploma thesis?
The diploma thesis is a practical piece of work that deals with a current task set by a company. A solution is developed and, wherever possible, a prototype is built. The developments are presented and approved by experts at the educational institute, but are also taken into operation on site. Like the entire degree course, the dissertation is also very practical and hands-on. Much of it takes place in the company and is practical, action-oriented rather than theoretical.
Why should students complete the CHE Mechanical Engineering degree program at this school?
The school has its origins in a technical vocational school and we have the technical expertise in-house. Of course, this also has an impact on our offerings in higher vocational education, such as CHE Mechanical Engineering. Many things such as infrastructure and specialist knowledge can be adapted there. Our networks and the transfer of practical experience through lecturers, various specialists from different fields and practical examples also have an impact. This creates special experiences for our students that are usually not possible in other schools. Our class sizes are limited to enable intensive and active study. This ensures good class cohesion at CHE Mechanical Engineering and a good network later on. These things make the school unique.
What makes Uzwil a great place to study?
The CHE Mechanical Engineering course is mainly held in Uzwil. This is because all technical courses and basic technical training are located here. This is because the major industrial companies in Eastern Switzerland are also based in Uzwil. The school building is modern and easily accessible. There are also free parking spaces. These circumstances are greatly appreciated by our students.
