Why Skilled Staff Deliver Higher Business Results

Skilled and trained staff maximise profitability, resulting in stronger growth, reduce costs, and at the same time substantially increase the quality of the guest experience

- Nisha Shukla

For a country that would fit into the state of California 10 times, Switzerland could be considered an overachiever when it comes to global competitiveness, according to WEF’s Global Competitive-ness Report 2019. Christa Augsburger, Director, SHL Schweizerische Hotelfachschule Luzern, unveils the nation's secret and explains what the global hospitality industry can learn from the Swiss approach.

What is the secret behind Switzerland’s success for its highly skilled workforce and global competitiveness?

Switzerland’s high-quality education system plays a vital role when it comes to our economic success, where four components stand out. Our economy benefits from a permanent inflow of young talents from the vocational education training and we also have an educational system offering an array of top-level vocational and professional colleges and associations, in addition to traditional higher educational institutions and universities.

Training and education are always a top priority and the general opinion is that everyone needs to contribute. The most powerful aspect is that we appreciate education as an investment in our future, not as a cost.

In Switzerland, we perceive employee training to be of the same importance as executive education and the academic path. There is a common understanding that the economy, individual companies and our entire society benefit from ongoing training and education on all levels.

So, is training and education the secret behind Switzerland’s success?