Stays abroad for apprentices and young Career Builders

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Stays abroad by apprentices and young Career Builders lay the foundation for the intercultural agility of globally networked companies.

What’s more, their early experience abroad forms the foundation for the personal and professional development of participants in the AFS programs. You will learn on the job to think and act in a networked way.

AFS supports training companies and vocational schools in the design and implementation of stays abroad.

AFS Corporate Programs

Good prospects for the future: Young professionals who are up to the challenges of the global market including industry 4.0

In many places, both companies and Swiss SMEs are made up of heterogeneous, multicultural teams, which can lead to major challenges and conflicts, especially with regard to international cooperation. For companies and training companies, it is more important than ever that (future) employees understand other ways of thinking, have good language skills and remain able to act in an international environment.

Export promotion of a personal nature

Young employees with good professional qualifications live and work abroad for up to one year. Valuable contacts are established, which consolidate relations with the host country in the long term. The unique opportunity to experience a country not only as a visitor, but also as part of a learning or working community provides a valuable network of contacts and a deep understanding of the local culture. Apprentices and trainees returning home happy are future bridges to the host country and perhaps the leaders of your company of tomorrow.

Meaningful employee development

The young professionals take part in an AFS program, attend schools or work in one of your subsidiaries or partner companies. The personal and cultural skills gained in this way qualify her for working in international teams, for worldwide job rotations or for a successful dealings with global customers. With this personnel development measure, your company invests in its own junior staff by partly or completely covering the program costs.

Denise Scheidegger Assistant VP Swiss Re

Our aim is to train and support our interns in terms of mobility and flexibility. We are convinced that after the annual foreign assignments, there will be a clear win-win situation for both sides.

Personality development & life experience

Maturity by mastering unusual challenges away from home
Independence and assertiveness
Personal initiative, personal responsibility and reflection on one’s own actions
Gain in self-esteem and self-confidence

Intercultural competence

Above-average language skills

In cooperation with you, AFS develops tailor-made exchange programmes for your apprentices and young professionals. AFS is the world’s oldest and largest non-profit youth exchange organisation with around 1,000 employees and 42,000 volunteers in more than 60 partner countries. An ideal partner for the organisation and implementation of exchange programmes abroad.

AFS program for learners: Lifelong benefits from an exchange year

This programme corresponds to the classical AFS Youth Exchange for young people between 15 and 18 years of age. The students attend a public school for 11 months and live in a host family. AFS supports the learners before, during and after their stay abroad with a local volunteer network and enables them to take part in both language courses and local activities.

AFS Program for young professionals: you offer the workplace - AFS Switzerland the framework

You provide the workplace – AFS Switzerland the framework. The program is aimed at young professionals between 18 and 25 years of age in nationally and internationally operating companies. During a 3 to 12-month internship in a branch office or a partner company, the young professionals learn to work in a foreign environment, which opens up new perspectives for them. They prefer to live in a host family or, if necessary, in company-owned accommodation. AFS takes care of the young professionals before, during and after their stay abroad – on request and according to your needs.

Benefit from our know-how: More than 60 years of experience with international mobility and corporate partners

Since 1991, we have been working together with national and international companies: among others, trainees or trainees from Sulzer, Rieter, Lonza, Swiss Re, Credit Suisse, AXA Winterthur, SwissLife, Mobiliar, Allianz and the vocational school in Baden went abroad with AFS – into a school or work programme (internship).

Together with you, we have the experience to carry out tailor-made assignments abroad within the scope of your and our possibilities – for apprentices, young professionals and also in-house education officers.

Comprehensive cultural experience - worldwide: Experience that continues after work

For example, by living in local host families, professionals get to know the social and cultural characteristics of the country. The connection to the worldwide and local AFS network, participation in AFS Camps and the language course guarantees all participants close support and integration right from the start. Depending on the programme, the interaction of work, school, leisure time and family life enables the participants to develop themselves in a foreign culture.

A conversation takes you further....

… together we locate possibilities and opportunities that a cooperation with AFS can bring you.

Reto Stern
Business Development
Tel +41 44 218 19 13
[email protected]

Call now

For apprentices

e. g. one year abroad during the apprenticeship

You spend a year in another country, attend the local school and live with a family. You live in the country like a native. What was previously abroad will become your second home for a year. An experience no one can take away from you.

Your host family

It is carefully selected by AFS. The host parents do not receive any money, their only motive is the interest in living with someone like you from another culture. Your host family accepts you as a new member of the family. Frequently friendships for life develop.

Your host school

It goes without saying that regular attendance of a secondary school in the host country is a compulsory part of our programs. In addition to school material and language, it is the classmates who are most important – new friends are the key to your exchange experience.

Your contact persons

In addition to the AFS office in Switzerland and your host country, you will be assisted by a local counselor.

Your requirements

You are in an apprenticeship, between 15 and 18 years old, open and curious about the way of life and culture of your host country. You are looking forward to attending school abroad and integrating with your host family. With the exception of individual destinations, language skills are not required.

Your chance

An exchange year is both fun and work. Learning a foreign language and finding your way around in a foreign culture requires a lot of flexibility and energy from you. A commitment that pays off – you will not only get to know a new world and make friends, but you will also gain new open-mindedness, independence and perspectives for yourself.

All programs for apprentices

Dominic from Visp

In the company I had to show good performance. The head of the vocational school took my wish to spend a year abroad very positively. I can only recommend the exchange year: I learned to deal with difficulties better and have seen and experienced a lot. Apprenticeships, I think, benefit from the motivation and greater independence of the exchange students.

AFS for companies and apprentices