Studies on the personal benefits of continuing education, further training for adults
What is continuing education, further training?
Continuing education, further training expands and deepens existing vocational training and takes the form of courses, seminars, etc. Example: A graduate of a commercial apprenticeship would like to deepen their knowledge in the field of business administration and registers for the course "Betriebswirtschafter / Betriebswirtschafterin CHE". The Advanced Federal Diploma of Higher Education (CHE) in Business Administration is a 3-year further education course that can be attended alongside work at a College of Higher Education and concludes with a federal diploma.
What further training opportunities are there in Switzerland?
In Switzerland, several thousand courses and training programs are offered for continuing, further training. The training courses differ both in terms of subject matter and type. In terms of subject matter, there are continuing education, further training courses for every profession or function. There are three different types of continuing education and training: Certificate courses, higher vocational education and training and the continuing education sector of Universities:
- On the one hand, certificate courses are suitable for people interested in education who want to learn about a new topic. On the other hand, they are suitable for professionals who want to gain in-depth knowledge in a specialist area, such as new cold insulation technologies or the latest version of a programming language.
- Higher vocational education and training offers professionals practice-oriented continuing education, further training and a federally recognized qualification.
- Finally, Universities offer numerous further education opportunities. They follow on from a Universities degree or a higher vocational education qualification.
Here you can see the three areas of continuing education, further training for adults in blue:
New study: What are the personal benefits of continuing education, further training?
Evaluation of the study "Continuing education, further training for adults: What are the personal benefits?"
In October 2023, the two online portals Ausbildung-Weiterbildung.ch and Karriere.ch conducted an online survey on the benefits of continuing education, further training for adults for the second time since 2021. The core question of the study was: "What are the personal benefits of continuing education, further training?"
In principle, continuing education, further training serves to expand and deepen existing vocational training. It is offered in the form of courses and training programs. Courses are shorter educational formats lasting between one and several days. Courses last several months or years. Continuing education, further training in Switzerland can be divided into the following three types:
- Courses that end with a certificate from a school or other organization and are not recognized by the state
- Higher vocational education and training courses leading to a federal certificate or federal diploma
- Further education formats from Universities (UAS, UTE, Uni), which can last from six months to several years and conclude with a university diploma
398 adults who had completed continuing education, further training took part in the online survey. 71% of them had completed their continuing education, further training between 2020 and 2023. They were asked why they had decided to undertake continuing education, how satisfied they were with the training, what benefits they had gained from it and how the training had impacted their career.
The survey led to the following results:
Most important reasons for continuing education, further training
An open question asked for the most important reason why the person decided to undertake continuing education, further training. Here you will find the most important main reasons:
| Main reason for continuing education, further training | Share |
| Improving opportunities on the labor market | 39 % |
| Expand skills, deepen knowledge | 22 % |
| Personal interest, personal development | 18 % |
| Reorientation, retraining, lateral entry into a new field | 11 % |
| Wage increase | 2 % |
| Desired job change, higher or other position | 7 % |
| Other reasons | 1 % |
Multiple answers were not taken into account.
Satisfaction with the last continuing education, further training
92% of those surveyed stated that they were "very satisfied" or "satisfied" with their last continuing education, further training course
Professional and emotional benefits of continuing education, further training
| 93 % | were able to expand their professional skills |
| 84 % | can do more demanding work with better quality |
| 80 % | improved their self-confidence |
| 75 % | now have better chances on the labor market |
| 75 % | can better represent their opinions and ideas |
| 72 % | have a better appearance |
| 70 % | have received more interesting work |
| 61 % | can deal better with stressful situations |
| 59 % | receive more recognition in their profession |
| 54 % | receive more recognition in their social environment |
Impact on the career
22% of those surveyed have been promoted since starting continuing education, further training
33 % of those surveyed changed employer after continuing education, further training
38 % of those surveyed have been able to increase their income since their last continuing education, further training
Selected form of teaching
62 % have opted for face-to-face teaching
18 % have attended an online class
14% chose blended learning (combination of face-to-face & online) for continuing education, further training
5 % preferred hybrid lessons (on-site or online lessons possible at the same time)
1 % had opted for a different form of teaching
91% were satisfied or very satisfied with their choice of teaching method. Face-to-face teaching and hybrid teaching led to the greatest satisfaction.
Further training decision
57% of respondents quickly decided on and registered for continuing education, further training
35% did their research first and signed up after a certain amount of time
8 %, on the other hand, took a long time to decide and register
Conclusion
At 93%, satisfaction with the further training courses offered in all three types of courses is very high. The same applies to the improvement of their own professional skills. The majority of those who complete continuing education, further training are given more demanding work and can do it better. In addition to professional skills, personal skills were also expanded and significantly improved in the areas of self-confidence, appearance, communication, stress resistance and recognition at work or in the social environment.
Around a third of respondents were able to improve their position and/or income as a result of continuing education, further training. With this low value compared to satisfaction, it should be taken into account that 53% of the study participants have only completed their continuing education, further training in the last two years, i.e. the continuing education, further training may not yet be fully effective in everyday working life. In addition, wage levels have not risen significantly across all sectors in recent years. The nominal wage increase has amounted to 0.8 % per year over the last ten years (source: "UBS wage survey: wages to rise by 0.8 % in 2022"). If we only look at higher vocational education and training with federal professional qualifications and federal diplomas, the figures for promotion and wage increases look significantly better (see detailed evaluation =https://www.ausbildung-weiterbildung.ch/studie-fuer-weiterbildung-erwachsene). The same applies to people who completed their continuing education, further training more than two years ago.
Further information:
Modula AG
Aemetstrasse 6
8344 Bäretswil
Phone 044 930 30 30
Mobile 079 691 02 50
stefan.schmidlin@ausbildung-weiterbildung.ch
Directly to the general evaluations:https://www.ausbildung-weiterbildung.ch/studie-fuer-weiterbildung-erwachsene
Karriere.ch AG
Freiestrasse 55
8610 Uster
Phone 056 619 76 06
Mobile 079 358 68 31
claudio.weiss@karriere.ch
Directly to the career-oriented evaluation:https://www.karriere.ch/studie-weiterbildung-karriere.asp
Evaluation of the 2023 study "Continuing education, further training for adults: what are the personal benefits?"
Number of participants: 398
Target group: Adults who have completed continuing education, further training
| All continuing education, further training | Courses with a certificate from a school or other organization | Professional examinations / Federal Diploma of Higher Education | Higher professional examinations / federal diploma | College of Higher Education / Federal Diploma | CAS, DAS, MAS, MBA, EMBA at a Universities (UAS, UTE, Uni) | Other courses and training programs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Satisfaction with the last continuing education, further training | Answers "Very satisfied" and "satisfied" |
||||||
| How satisfied were you with your last continuing education, further training? | 92 % | 92 % | 97 % | 91 % | 95 % | 87 % | 93 % |
| Benefits of continuing education, further training | Answers "Completely true" and "True" |
||||||
| I was able to expand my professional skills | 93 % | 93 % | 100 % | 100 % | 94 % | 87 % | 88 % |
| I have been given more interesting tasks | 70 % | 73 % | 66 % | 92 % | 75 % | 63 % | 66 % |
| I can complete more demanding tasks with better quality | 84 % | 82 % | 90 % | 92 % | 83 % | 85 % | 82 % |
| My chances on the job market have improved | 75 % | 77 % | 86 % | 100 % | 77 % | 76 % | 61 % |
| My self-confidence has increased | 80 % | 78 % | 83 % | 91 % | 83 % | 67 % | 87 % |
| My appearance has improved | 72 % | 68 % | 83 % | 92 % | 89 % | 66 % | 69 % |
| I can communicate my opinions and ideas better | 75 % | 75 % | 87 % | 100 % | 81 % | 65 % | 71 % |
| I can deal better with stressful situations | 61 % | 63 % | 69 % | 59 % | 64 % | 58 % | 60 % |
| I receive more recognition at work | 59 % | 60 % | 55 % | 75 % | 61 % | 54 % | 57 % |
| I receive more recognition in my social environment | 54 % | 58 % | 62 % | 67 % | 50 % | 54 % | 44 % |
| Effects on the career | Yes-answers |
||||||
| I have been promoted since the beginning of my last continuing education, further training | 22 % | 16 % | 29 % | 33 % | 53 % | 22 % | 11 % |
| Changed employer since the beginning of the last continuing education, further training | 33 % | 31 % | 36 % | 50 % | 47 % | 30 % | 24 % |
| Have you been able to increase your income since your last continuing education, further training? | 38 % | 27 % | 57 % | 58 % | 75 % | 35 % | 31 % |
Complete evaluation of the 2023 study: Documents
1st evaluation of the 2023 study "Continuing education, further training for adults: What are the personal benefits?" Summary (PDF file) Download starts after clicking
2nd evaluation of Study 2023 "Continuing education, further training for adults: What are the personal benefits?" Table with the detailed results (PDF file) Download starts after clicking
Complete evaluation of the 2021 study: Documents
1st evaluation of the 2021 study "Continuing education, further training for adults: What are the personal benefits?" Summary (PDF file)
2nd evaluation of the 2021 study "Continuing education, further training for adults: What are the personal benefits?" Table with the detailed results (PDF file)
Study on educational benefits in continuing education, further training at the Universities of Lucerne
The Universities of Lucerne already conducted two studies in 2017 and 2019 on the topic of "Educational benefits of continuing education, further training". The topics analyzed were "Satisfaction with continuing education, further training", "Professional position and development", "Professional competence", "Personal development" and "Income development". In 2017, 383 graduates of continuing education courses such as CAS, DAS, MAS and EMBA from the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts were surveyed in the first survey; in the second survey in 2019, 314 people were surveyed.
Here is an excerpt of the results of the 2019 study "Educational benefits in continuing education, further training":
- Satisfaction with continuing education: "93.7% of continuing education participants would recommend their chosen continuing education to someone with a similar career path."
- Professional position and development: "The continuing education, further training courses at the HSLU have contributed to a large extent to graduates taking on more demanding tasks and to their desired professional development."
- Professional competence: "Over 93% of continuing education participants were able to improve their professional competence thanks to the course."
- Personal development: "Attending further training makes a significant contribution to personal development: Two thirds of study participants state that they have noticed improvements in their appearance or self-confidence."
- Income development: "Graduates have been able to increase their income by an average of 12% since starting their continuing education, further training."
Examples of returns on continuing education, further training in Switzerland: What wage increase can be expected after continuing education, further training?
Ausbildung-Weiterbildung.ch has produced over 80 model calculations on the subject of returns on education. The federal government's wage calculator (Salarium - Statistical Wage Calculator of the Federal Statistical Office) was used as a basis. It was analyzed how a particular continuing education, further training can affect wage development. Based on this data, sample careers were outlined and the impact of continuing education, further training on working life was calculated. For example, a 23-year-old, purely operationally active IT specialist would earn around CHF 1,800 more per month after continuing education, further training as a business IT specialist CHE. The course costs of around CHF 15,000 would therefore be amortized after just one year. By the time she retires, the IT specialist would receive around CHF 885,000 more in salary, provided she works full-time until then. This does not take into account further salary increases or promotions, which could significantly increase this amount.
Here you will find various examples on the subject of educational returns:https://www.ausbildung-weiterbildung.ch/Bildungshilfe/Lohnerhoehung-und-Bildungsrenditen
Ausbildung-Weiterbildung.ch is conducting a major study on the benefits of continuing education, further training in the field of adult vocational education and training until the end of November 2021. The results will be published here.
What should you look out for when choosing continuing education, further training?
The "Finding the right continuing education, further training" guide from Ausbildung-Weiterbildung.ch describes a four-step process that you can use to find the right educational offer with a high degree of probability. Here are the four most important steps, which are described in more detail in the guide:
- Finding your own calling, passion and strengths
- Define professional goals
- Analyzing the labor market
- Choose the right continuing education, further training based on the first three points, your own needs and requirements
Ausbildung-Weiterbildung.ch offers a separate guide on the topic of "Finding your vocation", as this is a major challenge for many people.
If you want to achieve the highest possible personal benefit from continuing education, you should focus on courses offered by higher vocational education and training institutions or continuing education, further training courses offered by Universities. Of course, certificate courses are justified depending on your needs and situation, but at least in terms of the return on education, they generally far outweigh the worthwhile benefits of certificate courses.
Here you can find the free guides "Finding your vocation" and "Finding the right continuing education, further training":https://www.ausbildung-weiterbildung.ch/Bildungshilfe/Ratgeber/
