[Schweigi]

We have this apprenticeships in Switzerland for all kind of jobs including IT. Those apprenticeships do always end in an official degree which is controlled by the government and is the same for all professions (e.g. mechanic, electrician, nurse, construction and so on).

For IT there is one apprenticeship with Software Development focus which takes 4 years and is split between school and working in the company. The content is defined by an IT company association and all companies providing those apprenticeship need to stick to this defined content. Those apprenticeships are usually done when people get 16, so they have this degree when they turn 19/20. After that they can go to university to do a Bsc or Msc if they want. I think its quite a good system because people get introduced early but slowly to the working world and also have a lot of time to learn other job related things like project management or office politics.

[jiggy2011]

Doesn't this restrict the technology choices of the companies who are employing these apprentices?

[Schweigi]

The content of an apprenticeship is defined on a higher level and not by technology. So it doesn't really matter what kind of technology the company uses. Examples would be: Can read&write a spec, can develop a program based on a spec and so on. The more theoretical part is usually done in school wich all apprentice from the different companies attend.

[jiggy2011]

How does the student learn the actual programming language in this case? Is that the responsibility of the employer to teach?

[Schweigi]

It has changed a lot how this is organized in the last 10 years so I`m not really up to date anymore. I think currently besides weekly school the apprentice will go to multiple week long sessions at the school where all the fundamental things will be thought. But besides that the rest needs to be done by the employer.