Self-Assessment: Is the “Solar Installation Project Manager (FPE)” Professional Bachelor’s program the right fit for me?

What does the day-to-day work of solar installation project managers with a Federal Diploma of Higher Education look like?

Solar installation project managers with a federal certificate are specialists with a professional background in building technology planning or in the professional field of building envelopes who specialize in the installation and maintenance of standardized solar systems for hot water, heat and electricity generation. They supervise solar projects from planning to installation and beyond.

For smaller buildings (single or multi-family homes and commercial buildings), solar installation project managers handle the entire project from start to finish; for more complex installations, they usually take care of the professional execution of the solar installations, while the planning is in the hands of planning specialists.

Solar installation project managers advise their customers, inform them about standardized solar installations and systems and assess the suitability of the buildings concerned. When planning the systems, they determine the position and alignment of the system components as well as the routing and penetration of cables and define mounting points and substructures. They install the systems independently.

As specialists in their field, they take the applicable standards and protective measures into account in all their activities. By installing solar systems, they make a significant contribution to the promotion of renewable energies and thus to the realization of the 2000-watt society. It goes without saying that they keep up to date with technical developments and innovations as well as energy policy discussions.

Target group and skills: Who is the Federal Diploma of Higher Education in Solar Installation Project Management suitable for? What qualities and skills are required?

The project management solar installation continuing education, further training and Federal Professional Examination are aimed at the following target group:

• Professionals - especially (but not only) from the fields of building technology and building envelopes - who want to continue their professional training, specialize in the promising field of solar systems and work in a responsible position in this field.

Solar installation project managers should have the following personal qualities and skills:

• Outgoing and good communication skills
• Ability to work in a structured and goal-oriented manner
• Independence
• Organizational talent
• Interest in energy technology developments and energy policy
• Stable health and a head for heights
• Weather resistance

Requirements for admission to the "Solar Installation Project Manager" Federal Diploma of Higher Education examination

The prerequisites for admission to the Federal Professional Examination for Solar Installation Project Manager are

Federal Diploma of Vocational Education and Training(Federal VET Diploma) in a building services engineering profession (building services engineer for heating, ventilation, plumbing) or building envelope profession (roofer, roofing contractor, façade builder, scaffolder, blind fitter) or an equivalent qualification

AND

within the last 10 years at least3 years of professional experiencein a building services engineering or building envelope profession

AND

Solarteur certificate(requires 7 module qualifications, which may be completed as part of the preparatory courses for the Federal Professional Examination)

AND

2 Project management modules"Project Management Basics" and "Solar Installation Project Management" (also taken as part of the Federal Professional Examination preparation courses)

Subject matter and content of continuing education, further training

The preparatory courses to become a Solar Installation Project Manager with Federal Diploma of Higher Education are practical, solution-oriented and perfectly aligned with the requirements of the Federal Professional Examination. The continuing education, further training comprises two subject areas: Specialist courses (7 modules), successful completion of which leads to the European-recognized certificate "Solarteur", and project management (2 modules).

Specialist modules:

• DWA- Roof, wall, occupational safety: basic knowledge of the building envelope, assembly systems, occupational safety
• EUM- Energy, environment, market: energy theory, energy situation and environmental consequences, energy/climate/environmental policy, solar energy, support measures, laws and building standards
• GET- Fundamentals of electrical engineering: physical principles of ET, electrical energy supply, energy and power, protective measures in domestic installations, safety when working on electrical systems, legal principles
• GWT- Basics of heating technology: physical basics of heating technology, heating installations, sanitary installations, pipe connection techniques
• WP- Heat pump: basics of heat pumps, heat pump systems, realization of heat pump systems
• PV- Photovoltaics: PV systems, components of PV systems, realization of PV systems
• ST- Solar thermal energy: ST basics, ST systems, realization of ST systems

Project management modules:

• Project management basicsBasic concepts of project management, procedure methodology, initialization process, project goals, organization, work breakdown structure, planning of deadlines, resources and costs, project controlling
• Solar installation project managementBasics of solar energy, permits, subsidies, conception, construction management

The responsible body for the Federal Professional Examination (consisting of 7 construction industry associations) and its Quality Assurance Commission regularly review and revise the requirements. This ensures that the knowledge and skills imparted are always up to date, take into account the latest technological developments and comply with legal requirements.

Costs and financing of continuing education, further training

The following costs must be expected for continuing education, further training (as of July 2023):

• TheTuition fees for the preparation coursesfor the 7 specialist modules is CHF 7,300 and for the 2 project management modules CHF 2,800, i.e. a total of CHF 10,100, of which you will receive up to 50% back from the federal government on application (regardless of the result) after passing the Federal Professional Examination*.
• Fee for the Federal Professional ExaminationCHF 1,500 (as of July 2023). Candidates must pay the examination fee as soon as they receive notification of admission.
• The costs for enrolment, teaching materials and training documents and module examinations are usually included in the tuition fee. We recommend that you contact the provider of your choice directly and ask whether you can work withExtra costshave to reckon with.

*Since 1.1.2018, preparatory courses for Federal Professional Examination (FPE) and Advanced Federal Professional Examination (AFPE) have been financially supported by the federal government. Graduates of these courses will therefore be reimbursed up to 50% (max. CHF 9,500 for FPE, max. CHF 10,500 for AFPE) of the course costs paid upon application after taking the federal examinations. In exceptional cases of hardship, the federal contributions will also be paid out in advance.

Duration of study, teaching times and learning effort

The continuing education, further training to become a solar installation project manager is designed to take place alongside work and lasts at least two semesters.

The continuing education, further training comprises 9 modules. Each module is completed with an examination. The module qualifications are valid for five years.

Lessons take place on individual weekdays (often Thurs/Fri) plus half Saturdays and comprise around 350 lessons of 45 minutes each (curriculum and number of lessons may vary in detail depending on the school). The number of teaching units of the individual modules is approx:

• DWA - Roof, wall, occupational safety: 40 lessons
• EUM - Energy, Environment, Market: 20 lessons.
• GET - Fundamentals of Electrical Engineering: 30 lessons
• GWT - Fundamentals of thermal engineering: 30 lessons
• WP - Heat pump: 45 lessons.
• PV - Photovoltaics: 45 lessons
• ST - Solar thermal energy: 45 lessons
• Project management basics: 24 lessons
• Solar installation project management: 72 lessons

Those who have successfully completed the specialist modules DWA, EUM, GET, GWT, WP, PV and ST receive the European-recognized "Solarteur" certificate; those who have successfully completed all 9 modules can register for the Federal Professional Examination. - This also means that anyone who holds the Solarteur certificate and has also successfully completed the two modules on project management (Basics and PL Solar Installation) can register for the Federal Professional Examination.

You should allow sufficient time to prepare for and follow up on the lessons and for self-study - how much depends on your previous knowledge, working style and learning speed. We recommend that you allow at least 4-6 hours per week as a precaution.

Federal Professional Examination: degree, diploma and title

TheFederal Professional Examinationis organized by the Polybau training center.

The Federal Professional Examination is an individual project work and can be started at any time (if the admission requirements are met). Candidates have the choice of taking the examination in German, French or Italian.

The Federal Professional Examination for Solar Installation Project Manager consists of two parts. The tasks in both parts can be divided into different positions:

1) Networking(written, prepared in advance)

Candidates document a specific solar installation in all project phases (planning, implementation, evaluation) in a written paper.

2) Presentation(oral, approx. 20 min.)and oral questioning(approx. 30 min.)

The presentation takes the form of a role play: the examination experts take on the role of the client, the candidate the role of the solar installation project manager. They explain to the clients how the solar installation works and why which techniques were used. In the oral interview, the candidates must show that they have the required specialist knowledge and can explain facts in a technically correct and comprehensible manner.

Diploma and title

Graduates who successfully pass the Federal Professional Examination receive the Swiss Federal Certificate in addition to the European-recognized Solarteur® certificate they have already earned; they are entered into the SERI* registry and are entitled to use the following protected titles as well as the optional additional English title “Professional Bachelor.”

• German: Solar Installation Project Manager / Solar Installation Project Manager with a Swiss Federal Certificate, Professional Bachelor's Degree
• French: Solar Installation Project Manager, Professional Bachelor's Degree
• Italian: Solar Installation Project Manager with Federal Professional Certification, Professional Bachelor's Degree

English: Solar Installation Project Manager with a Federal Diploma of Professional Education and Training, Professional Bachelor's Degree (this is not a protected title, but rather the recommended translation)

* The State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation keeps a register of all holders of Federal Diplomas of Higher Education and Federal Diplomas.