PET in construction management in transition
Assessment of employer associations and training providers on drivers and obstacles to the transformation of the construction management
Professional education and training (PET) in construction management is currently undergoing a fundamental change: the construction management diploma will no longer be obtained at a College of Higher Education, but from 2026 will be awarded exclusively via Advanced Federal Diploma of Higher Education. On behalf of the Swiss Construction Sector Association we at the Swiss Education Lab of the Chair of Education Systems at ETH Zurich are providing scientific support for this transformation. Our aim is to identify the opportunities and challenges of the transformation in a timely manner.
college of higher education into an advanced federal diploma of higher education
Our initial survey with employer associations and training providers shows that planning and creating the preparation courses for the new exam is a challenge for training providers, especially with regard to admission to the first Advanced Federal Diploma in 2026. Nevertheless, the high-quality applications for the new preparation courses and a comparable number of applicants as in the previous year indicate that the transformation is progressing well.
Our analysis of the drivers and obstacles to the transformation confirms this observation: The actors involved support the transformation and are satisfied with the collaboration. The distribution of roles and the quality of the preparation courses are also good. However, there is room for improvement in quality assurance in the workplace and in the transfer between the workplace and the new preparation courses. Although financial resources are available for implementation, the limited time available for implementation poses a challenge. In addition, the extent of the change is large and requires comprehensive adaptation from all actors involved.
Nevertheless, the drivers of transformation currently outweigh the obstacles, which indicates that the transformation is on the right track. Our respondents are also optimistic that the transformation will be successful. In spring 2024, we will gather direct feedback from students of the new preparation courses and their employers to get a complete picture.