English is not an official language of the Swiss Confederation. This translation is provided for information purposes only and has no legal force.
Section 1 Federal Subsidies for VPET system
Art. 52 Principle
1 Within the range of the approved budgets, the Confederation shall provide funding to cover an appropriate portion of the costs of VET and professional education under this Act. 2 The Confederation shall mainly provide the Cantons with lump-sum funding so that they may carry out the tasks referred to in Article 53. The Cantons shall pass on these subsidies to the third parties concerned in proportion to the tasks that have been delegated to them. 3 The Confederation shall pay the remaining portion of funding to: a. the Cantons and third parties so that they may carry out projects designed to develop and improve the quality of VET and professional education (Art. 54); b. the Cantons and third parties so that they may carry out specific activities that serve the public interest (Art. 55); c. third parties so that they may organise federal professional examinations, advanced federal professional examinations and other study programmes at professional education institutions (Art. 56); d.
Para. 3 let. d — Inserted by No I of the FA of 16 Dec. 2016, in force since 1 Jan. 2018 (AS 2017 5143; BBl 2016 3089).
Art. 53 Lump-sum funding for the Cantons
1 The lump-sum funding paid by the Confederation to the Cantons shall mainly be calculated on the basis of the number of learners enrolled in VET programmes. Adequate consideration shall also be given to the range and type of VET programmes as well as the availability of professional education. The Federal Council may also take other criteria into account. 2 Lump-sum funding shall be used for the following purpose: a. education and training: 1. individual tutoring of learners enrolled in two-year VET programmes (Art. 18 para. 2), 2. measures to prepare learners for upper-secondary level VET programmes (Art. 12), 3. VET schools (Art. 21), 4. branch courses or similar third-party training courses (Art. 23), 5. the preparatory course for the FVB Examination (Art. 25), 6. preparatory courses for a federal professional examination or an advanced federal professional examination (Art. 28), 7. study programmes at professional education institutions (Art. 29), 8. job-related CET (Art. 30–32),
Para. 1 — Amended by No II 4 of the FA of 6 Oct. 2006 on New System of Fiscal Equalisation and Division of Tasks between the Confederation and Cantons, in force since 1 Jan. 2008 (AS 2007 5779; BBl 2005 6029).
Art. 54 Subsidies for projects that seek to develop and improve the quality of the VPET system
The subsidies in support of VPET development projects under Article 4 paragraph 1 and projects that seek to improve quality under Article 8 paragraph 2 shall be provided for a limited duration.
Art. 55 Subsidies for specific activities that serve the public interest
1 Specific activities that serve the public interest include the following: a. measures to promote true gender equality as well as access to education and job-related CET for people with disabilities (Art. 3 let. c); b. information and documentation (Art. 5 let. a); c. the creation of teaching materials intended for linguistic minorities (Art. 5 let. b); d. measures to improve understanding and exchange between the linguistic communities (Art. 6); e. measures intended to help disadvantaged regions and groups (Art. 7); f. measures to help young people confronted with academic, language or social barriers to gain greater access to VET programmes (Art. 7); g measures to help people to remain economically active or find new employment (Art. 32 para. 2); h support measures designed to improve the coordination, transparency and quality of job-related CET (Art. 32 para. 3); i. measures to promote other qualification procedures (Art. 35); j. measures designed to maintain and expand the number
Art. 56 Subsidies for federal professional examinations, advanced federal professional examinations; study programmes at professional education institutions
The Confederation may provide subsidies to professional organisations wishing to conduct federal professional examinations, advanced federal professional examinations and study programmes at professional education institutions.
Art. 56a Subsidies to persons completing preparatory courses for federal professional examinations and advanced federal professional examinations
1 The Confederation may pay persons who complete a preparatory course for a federal professional examination or advanced federal professional examination (Art. 28). 2 These subsidies may not exceed 50 per cent of eligible course fees. 3 The Federal Council shall establish the prerequisites for entitlement to a subsidy, the subsidy rate and eligible course fees. 4 The Confederation may, at the request of persons attending a preparatory course for a federal professional examination or an advanced federal professional examination, make an advance payment of part of the subsidy amount. The Federal Council shall decide on the specific details.
Art. 56a — Inserted by No I of FA of 16 Dec. 2016, in force since 1 Jan. 2018 (AS 2017 5143; BBl 2016 3089).
Art. 56b Information system
1 SERI shall maintain an information system enabling it to check payment of subsidies within the meaning of Article 56a and generate and analyse corresponding statistics. 2 It shall process the following data in the information system: a. information to identify recipients of subsidies under Article 56a paragraphs 1 and 4; b. information to identify persons completing a preparatory course for a federal professional examination or an advanced federal professional examination under Article 28; c. ... d. information about the subsidy amounts received in the cases referred to in Article 56a paragraphs 1 and 4; e. information about the preparatory courses; f. information about the successfully completed federal professional examination or advanced federal professional examination. 3 The Federal Council shall enact provisions on the structure and operation of the information system and on data security, the duration of data storage and deletion of data. 4 It may commission third parties to m
Art. 56b — Inserted by No I of FA of 16 Dec 2016, in force since 1 Jan. 2018 (AS 2017 5143; BBl 2016 3089). Para. 2 let. c — Repealed by Annex No 8 of the FA of 18 Dec. 2020 (Systematic Use of the OASI Number by Authorities), with effect from 1 Jan. 2022 (AS 2021 758; BBl 2019 7359).
Art. 57 Conditions and requirements
1 The subsidies referred to in Articles 53–56 shall only be provided if the activities to be funded: a. correspond to actual needs; b. are properly organised; c. include adequate quality improvement measures. 2 The Federal Council may establish additional conditions and requirements. It shall regulate the calculation of subsidy amounts.
Art. 58 Reduction and withholding of subsidies
The Confederation shall reduce approved subsidies or withhold new subsidies if the funding recipient seriously neglects or fails to fulfil his obligations under this Act.
Art. 59 Budgets, allocation of federal funding
1 For each multi-year subsidy period, the Federal Assembly shall issue a simple Federal Decree to approve the following: a. the expenditure limits for the fixed subsidies paid to the Cantons referred to in Article 53; abis. the expenditure limits for the subsidy payments to SFUVET under Article 48 paragraph 2; ater. the expenditure limits for: 1. the subsidies referred to in Article 56 for organising federal professional examinations, advanced federal professional examinations and study programmes at professional education institutions, 2. the subsidies referred to in Article 56a to persons who complete a preparatory course; b. the guaranteed budget for: 1. subsidies referred to in Article 54 for projects that seek to develop and improve the quality of the VPET system, 2. subsidies referred to in Article 55 for specific activities that serve the public interest. 2 As a guideline, the Confederation’s share of education funding should be one quarter of public expenditure on the VPET syst
Art. 59 — Amended by No I of FA of 16 Dec. 2016, in force since 1 Jan. 2018 (AS 2017 5143; BBl 2016 3089). Para. 1 let. a — Amended by No I of the FA of 27 Sept. 2024, in force since 1 March 2025 (AS 2025 75; BBl 2024 900). Para. 1 let. abis — Inserted by Art. 36 of the SFUVET Act of 25 Sept. 2020, in force since 1 Aug. 2021 (AS 2021 414; BBl 2020 661). Para. 1 let. ater — Inserted by No I of the FA of 27 Sept. 2024, in force since 1 March 2025 (AS 2025 75; BBl 2024 900).
Section 2 VPET Funds
Art. 60
1 In order to promote the VPET system, professional organisations responsible for organising VET, professional education, job-related CET and corresponding examinations may create and maintain their own VPET funds. 2 The professional organisations shall describe the purpose of their VPET fund. Specifically, the fund should be used to fund the activities of companies in their branch that carry out training activities for specific fields of activity. 3 At the request of corresponding professional organisation, the Federal Council may declare the professional organisation’s VPET fund mandatory for all companies within the given economic branch and require that each company contribute to the fund. By analogy, the provisions of the Federal Act of 28 September 1956 on the Declaration of General Application of Collective Employment Agreements also apply. 4 In order for a fund to qualify as mandatory, the following conditions must be met: a. at least 30% of all of the companies representing 30
Para. 2 — Second sentence amended by Annex No 13 of the FA of 20 June 2014 on Continuing Education and Training, in force since 1 Jan. 2017 (AS 2016 689; BBl 2013 3729). Para. 3 — SR 221.215.311