The President of the Djibouti National Assembly, Mohamed Ali Houmed, was welcomed by the National Council President Jürg Stahl (Swiss People’s Party/ZH) on 14 June 2017. The two parliamentary speakers reasserted their view that ‘relations between peoples’ are what reinforce ties between countries. The Djibouti representatives stated that they had come to Switzerland to draw inspiration from Swiss experiences, in particular in the area of vocational education and training. For Stahl, money is not the only important factor but also the transfer of competences within a given branch of economic or sports activity, with the aim being to create fresh prospects for new generations.
The African delegation was then received by the vice president of the Council of States, Karin Keller-Sutter (FDP/SG). She mentioned the major port infrastructure of Djibouti and inquired about the political situation of this undoubtedly strategic region. ‘We are surrounded by unstable countries’, explained the president of the Djibouti National Assembly Ali Houmed, ‘and we have to contend with the massive influx of refugees, particularly from Eritrea and Yemen.’ On this issue, both politicians agreed that it was important that investments be made in the countries themselves in order to offer future prospects to the population, particularly to young people.
The delegation met with a few members of the Swiss-African inter-parliamentary group, which is chaired by National Council member, Isabelle Chevalley (Green Party/GL). Ms Chevalley discussed renewable energy sources and ways in which an African country could create jobs, e.g. by building waste treatment and recycling facilities. Before leaving the parliament building, the president of the Djibouti National Assembly talked with Ambassador/Deputy State Secretary Krystyna Marty Lang about possible cooperation initiatives between the two countries.
Accompanied by five Djibouti MPs, the president of the Djibouti National Assembly, Mohamed Ali Houmed, began his visit to Switzerland in the Canton of Fribourg. The delegation was met by the mayor of the Commune of Gruyères, Jean-Pierre Doutaz, and the head of the communal secretariat, Daniel Weber. Mr Doutaz gave a presentation of his region and explained Switzerland’s system of federalism, with its three institutional levels and instruments of direct democracy – namely referendum, popular initiative and petition – which allow citizens to play an active role in political life. The head of the communal secretariat then explained the functioning of dual-track VET programmes in Switzerland. An apprentice doing workplace training at the communal secretariat also shared his experiences.
One of the reasons for the visit was to learn about the Swiss system of vocational education and training. For this reason, the delegation was very pleased. At the end of their stay in Switzerland, delegation members paid a visit to the ‘Centre de formation professionnelle Berne francophone (CEFF)’ in Saint-Imier and the Bernese Jura Hospital (HJB SA) in Moutier, where delegation members were able to meet with apprentices working in various areas of activity.
CEFF Director Serge Rohrer described school-to-work transitions of young people. He explained that although dual-track VET is indeed a successful model, it cannot be transposed directly in other countries. The key to success is cooperation between parents, young people, schools, employers and professional organisations. In dual-track VET programmes, vocational schools play an important role in providing young people with the basic foundation needed for more advanced training later on, which the Swiss education system makes possible thanks to numerous interlinkages between different education and training pathways. At CEFF, the delegation was also met by the head of the Health and Social Care Division, Daniel Roulin, who took them to various workshops and introduced them to both students and teachers.
The delegation then travelled to Moutier. The director of HJB SA, Dominique Sartori, explained the role that the hospital plays in providing workplace training and described the salient features of Swiss dual-track VET programmes. Visits to certain parts of the hospital – medical wards, kitchen, logistics office, dialysis centre and radiology institute – allowed the delegation to observe specific examples of how apprenticeship training works. Apprentices were able to explain directly from the workplace the various pathways, difficulties and opportunities that this type of training offers. The Djibouti delegation took advantage of this opportunity to inquire about possible exchanges of experiences. They also asked the president of the Swiss branch of Doctors Without Borders (MSF), Doctor Thomas Nierle, for more information about possible cooperation initiatives. ‘The only real resources that we need to be investing in are human resources’, concludes Dr Nierle, underscoring the importance of training young people, which was the main reason why the delegation from the Horn of Africa had made this trip.