SwissSkills

What SwissSkills does

SwissSkills is a Bern-based non-profit foundation founded in 2014 that promotes vocational education in Switzerland by organizing national and international professional championships and operating year-round digital career-orientation platforms. It is the official Swiss member body for WorldSkills and EuroSkills, partnering with over 90 professional associations (Berufsverbände) to identify and train competitors, and hosting the biennial SwissSkills central championships at BERNEXPO in Bern (120,000+ visitors, ~1,021 competitors across 92 championships and 150+ professions per cycle). The organization also runs the SwissSkills National Team for international competition (Lyon 2024: 7 gold, 7 silver, 1 bronze — Top 3 of World; EuroSkills Gdańsk 2023: 12 gold medals).

Its core product portfolio combines live championship events with three digital platforms: SwissSkills City (virtual city for children aged ~10+ to explore 120+ professions via video and challenges), SwissSkills Connect (digital mentorship network of ~200 career champions), and Mission Future School (a teacher tool using PSYfiers AG's Visual Implicit Profiler to generate individual strength/role profiles for students). Content extensions include the SwissSkills Masterclass TV series (SRF) and the SwissMadeExcellence podcast.

SwissSkills generates revenue through a layered sponsorship model — Presenting Partner UBS, Institutional Partner Swiss Confederation (SBFI-linked), Media Partners Ringier/RTS/RSI, Bildungspartner EHB/SDBB, plus prize sponsor Debrunner Acifer — alongside public funding tied to its mandate of promoting vocational education. Core digital offerings are provided free to students, parents, and teachers. Geographic scope is single-country (Switzerland), with international visibility through WorldSkills and EuroSkills participation and Switzerland's hosting of EuroSkills 2029 in Geneva.

Name

SwissSkills

Legal name

SwissSkills

Website

https://swiss-skills.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

SwissSkills is a Swiss non-profit foundation that promotes vocational education through national and international professional championships (SwissSkills, EuroSkills, WorldSkills) and year-round digital career-exploration platforms serving students, parents, teachers, and employers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Vocational Education and Career Orientation

NAICS

Technical and Trade Schools (6115), Apprenticeship Training (611513)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Assessment, Certification & Qualifications Frameworks (BPADAKAL)

Keywords

• Vocational education promotion
• Skills championships
• Career orientation platforms
• Talent development programs
• Professional training events

Headquarters

HQ city

Bern

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Event Revenue: SwissSkills generates revenue through organizing national and international professional championships (SwissSkills, EuroSkills, WorldSkills), including ticket sales, exhibitor fees, and sponsorship packages tied to events.
2. Corporate Sponsorship: Presenting Partner UBS and other corporate sponsors fund the organization and its programs (SwissSkills Mission Future, digital platforms). Sponsorship tiers include Presenting Partner (UBS), Institutional Partner (Swiss Confederation), Media Partners (Ringier, RSI, RTS), and Bildungspartner (SBFI, EHB, SDBB).
3. Public Funding and Institutional Grants: The organization receives institutional support from the Swiss Confederation (Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft) and government-linked bodies (SBFI, cantonal education authorities) for promoting vocational education.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

SwissSkills is a non-profit foundation that organizes national and international vocational skills championships in Switzerland, providing a platform where more than 150 professions are showcased through biennial central championships at BERNEXPO in Bern and decentralized championships year-round. It enables young professionals to represent Switzerland at WorldSkills and EuroSkills competitions and complements these events with digital career orientation tools (SwissSkills City, Mission Future School, SwissSkills Connect) targeting students, parents, and teachers.

Product overview

SwissSkills is an organization that promotes young vocational talents in Switzerland through skills competitions and career orientation platforms. Its portfolio includes the central SwissSkills championships (held every two years) and distributed SwissSkills Championships, the SwissSkills National Team for international competitions (WorldSkills, EuroSkills), Mission Future School for career orientation with its VIP profiling tool, the SwissSkills City virtual exploration platform, the SwissSkills Connect digital mentorship platform, the Ambassador-Programm for champion engagement, and content series including SwissSkills Masterclass TV series and SwissMadeExcellence podcast.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SwissSkills Connect: Digital platform connecting young professionals with students for career exploration
• SwissSkills Mission Future
• SwissSkills City
• SwissSkills Ambassador-Programm
• SwissSkills National Team
• SwissSkills Championships

Products and services

• SwissSkills National Championships Central biennial national vocational skills championships organized at BERNEXPO in Bern across approximately 105,000 m² (equivalent to 15 football fields), featuring 85–92 Swiss championships and 60–65 demonstration trades covering more than 150 professions. SwissSkills 2022 attracted approximately 120,000 visitors and 1,150 participants; SwissSkills 2025 attracted 120,000 visitors including over 65,000 students from 2,100+ registered school classes. SwissSkills 2027 will take place 14–18 September 2027; SwissSkills 2029 will be held in St. Gallen.
• SwissSkills Championships (Decentralized) Distributed national vocational championships held throughout Switzerland during the year, allowing young professionals to earn titles as Swiss champions outside the central biennial event years.
• SwissSkills National Team Switzerland's official team of top young professionals who represent the country at international competitions including WorldSkills and EuroSkills. The SwissSkills National Team 2026 comprises 42 young professionals competing in 38 skills at WorldSkills Shanghai 2026 (22–27 September 2026) against around 1,400 participants from over 60 countries, with approximately 1,000 training hours per talent.
• SwissSkills City A virtual city where children from approximately age 10 explore over 120 occupations through short videos and challenges, providing a gamified first introduction to the world of vocational education. Accessible free of charge via web.
• Mission Future School A software-based tool for schools enabling students in minutes to create an individual strength and career role profile through the Visual Implicit Profiler (VIP) application developed with PSYfiers AG. Includes classroom materials and guidance for teachers; anonymizes results after 90 days; provides statistical analyses. Free for teachers.
• SwissSkills Connect A digital platform featuring approximately 200 professional champions who provide personal insights into their occupations, enabling virtual work experience and career exploration for students. Accessible online free of charge; nominated as a finalist for Master of Swiss Web 2021.
• SwissSkills Ambassador-Programm Program for talented young professionals, especially medal winners from WorldSkills and EuroSkills competitions, who inspire students to achieve excellence through public appearances, school visits, live video chats, and event appearances. Members receive attractive professional development opportunities.
• SwissSkills Masterclass (TV Series) A six-episode television series on SRF (Swiss public television) featuring outstanding young professionals and offering viewers insight into various occupations.
• SwissMadeExcellence Podcast Podcast featuring stories from professional champions and experts in vocational education and career development, distributed on all major podcast platforms and targeting youth and families.
• EntrepreneurshipSkills Discipline New competitive discipline (EntrepreneurshipSkills) launched at SwissSkills 2022 in Bern, expanding the championships to include entrepreneurship as a recognized vocational skill.

Quantifiable outcome

• At EuroSkills Herning 2025, Switzerland won 11 medals (6 Gold, 5 other) across 14 skills — best European nation
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor, major and flagship.

• EHB / IFFP / IUFPI (Eidgenössisches Hochschulinstitut für Berufsbildung)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 March 2021SwissSkills and EHB strengthened their cooperation in March 2021 through a formal cooperation agreement. The partnership aims to enhance the training of SwissSkills experts and strengthen educational quality within the vocational training system.
• Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft / Swiss Confederation (Institutional Partner)coreOthersThe Swiss Confederation serves as the institutional partner of SwissSkills, providing governmental legitimacy and support for the national vocational education mission. SwissSkills organizes Swiss participation in WorldSkills and EuroSkills international championships under this institutional framework.
• SBFI / SERI (Staatssekretariat für Bildung, Forschung und Innovation)coreOthersSBFI is the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation and serves as an official Bildungspartner (education partner) of SwissSkills, linking the organization to national education policy.
• SDBB (Schweizerisches Dienstleistungszentrum Berufsbildung)minorOthersSDBB is an official Bildungspartner supporting SwissSkills' educational mission and connecting the organization to the broader Swiss vocational education infrastructure.
• Ringier (Media Partner)majorGTM or Marketing PartnerRingier serves as an official media partner of SwissSkills, providing press and media coverage for national championship events and organizational activities.
• RTS / Radio Télévision Suisse (Media Partner)majorGTM or Marketing PartnerRTS is an official media partner providing live television coverage of SwissSkills events. RTS broadcast live from SwissSkills 2025 with a 2.25-hour program on RTS 1 on September 20, 2025.
• RSI / Radiotelevisione della Svizzera italiana (Media Partner)majorGTM or Marketing PartnerRSI is an official media partner providing coverage of SwissSkills events for Italian-speaking Switzerland. RSI broadcast live from SwissSkills 2025 on Rete Uno (September 17-19, 2025, daily 15:00-16:00) and dedicated programming.
• PSYfiers AGcoreTechnology or IntegrationPSYfiers AG developed the Visual Implicit Profiler (VIP) application used in Mission Future School for generating student strength profiles. PSYfiers processes and stores VIP data with anonymization after 90 days and provides statistical analyses back to SwissSkills.
• Swiss Professional Associations (Berufsverbände)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerOver 90 Swiss professional associations partner with SwissSkills to select, train, and support competitors at national and international championships. They are essential partners in organizing SwissSkills Championships and identifying talent.
• BernExpo AG (Venue Partner)coreOthersBERNEXPO AG provides the primary event venue for SwissSkills national championships in Bern, hosting events across approximately 15 football fields of exhibition space.
• Swiss Employer and Worker Associations (sgv usam, SAV, sbbk, sgb, travail suisse, BCH, sdk, KV)minorOthersMajor Swiss employer associations (sgv-usam, SAV, sbbk) and worker associations (travail suisse, sgb, BCH, sdk, KV) are foundation organizations (Stiftungsorganisationen) of SwissSkills, providing institutional support and representing the dual vocational training system's stakeholders.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• BIBB (Bundesinstitut für Berufsbildung): Germany's federal institute for vocational education and training — a much larger, government-funded body that oversees the German dual VET system. Comparable scope of mission (promoting vocational education) but operates at a national-policy level far broader than SwissSkills' event-driven focus.

Direct peers

• WorldSkills International: Global umbrella organization that coordinates international vocational skills championships. SwissSkills is the official Swiss member organization; they share the same competition framework, branding, and athlete pipeline.
• Skills Canada / Compétences Canada: Canadian national body promoting skilled trades and technology careers through national competitions and the WorldSkills Canada program — directly comparable mission and championship structure to SwissSkills.
• SkillsUSA: US national organization for career and technical education that organizes SkillsUSA Championships across 100+ trade, technical, and leadership fields — structurally analogous to SwissSkills' national championship model.
• WorldSkills Germany / Deutsche Berufsmeisterschaften: German national member organization of WorldSkills, running Deutsche Meisterschaften (German national championships) and supporting German apprentices in international competitions — closest geographic and dual-VET-system peer to SwissSkills.
• WorldSkills Europe (EuroSkills): Pan-European vocational championship organization that SwissSkills participates in and will host in Geneva in 2029. Directly comparable as the European-level competition counterpart.
• WorldSkills UK: UK national skills organization that runs the national squad for WorldSkills and EuroSkills. Operates the same international championship model as SwissSkills, focused on promoting technical vocations to UK youth.
• WorldSkills Australia: Australian national skills organization running Skills Excellence Australia and the Australian WorldSkills team. Operates the same international competition pipeline and youth VET promotion model as SwissSkills.

Emerging players

• CASCAID (by Kuder): Career development and planning platform used by UK/AU/NZ schools for career guidance. Comparable in function to SwissSkills City and Mission Future School, addressing student career exploration through digital assessments.
• YouScience: US-based career aptitude and pathway platform for students and educators — comparable to SwissSkills' Mission Future School / VIP profiler as a digital career-orientation tool, though operating on a commercial SaaS model rather than a non-profit event-driven one.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/swissskills
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/swissskills

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SwissSkills