SwissSkills 2025 in Bern – CEO André Burri on Passion, Diversity and the Strength of Vocational Education

Passionate, diverse, energetic. Passionate, because the young talents showcase their skills with true dedication. Diverse, because at SwissSkills 2025 you can experience an incredible variety of professions. And energetic, because the atmosphere on site is contagious – you simply feel the power and enthusiasm radiating from this event.

Our vocational training system is unique worldwide and offers enormous advantages – for young people as well as for the economy. Yet many are still too unaware of these strengths. With SwissSkills 2025 we want to change that and make it visible: vocational education opens doors to opportunities that can hardly be found anywhere else.

It shows that success comes to those who embrace challenges, cope with setbacks and pursue their goals consistently. Vocational education also means developing key life skills – such as perseverance, teamwork and self-confidence. These abilities will be even more decisive in the future than pure technical knowledge.

Bern is centrally located in Switzerland, which is ideal for a national event. Equally important is its proximity to French-speaking Switzerland: it allows us to be more broadly anchored and enables many school classes and visitors to travel easily.

At SwissSkills 2025 we will present over 150 professions – more than ever before! The Bernexpo site offers the perfect space to welcome thousands of visitors each day. The outdoor areas also provide room for encounters and moments of relaxation in the fresh air – a welcome break between all the emotional impressions.

The feedback is consistently very positive. Everyone appreciates the organisation and the atmosphere. This praise is thanks to our dedicated team, our partners and of course the professional associations, who all contribute with great commitment to making SwissSkills a success.

They are highly valued by everyone: participants, training companies and visitors alike. The short distances make many things easier and ensure that SwissSkills 2025, despite its size, remains accessible and easy to navigate.

The growth has been impressive. Already in spring, most of the slots for school classes were nearly fully booked. The programme has expanded significantly – from just over 60 to now more than 90 professional championships. And SwissSkills 2025 has become a true media event that resonates far beyond Bern.

At the heart of it is our “Social Wall”. There, fans, training companies or associations can post photos or short messages showing how proud they are of their talents. These contributions are visible not only online, but also on large screens across Switzerland – alongside information about ticket sales. This creates a sense of community that extends far beyond the actual event: enthusiasm for vocational education begins digitally, unfolds live at SwissSkills 2025 and makes our professional world visible across the country.

There are many emotional moments, but one keeps repeating: when parents and children beam with pride together. In those moments, we know we have done everything right. That is exactly what SwissSkills is all about.