853200 Technical and vocational upper secondary education


At upper secondary level, basic vocational training may take the form of an apprenticeship in a company (dual system) or of full-time study at a specialised vocational school.

The dual system includes:

  • technical or professional instruction, combining basic theoretical knowledge and practical qualifications geared to an existing or future job, dispensed at: commercial schools, vocational schools (skilled crafts/industry), agricultural colleges and schools preparing students for health-care and nursing professions;
  • in-house company courses and other, comparable training venues

Specialised vocational schools (which provide full-time education in a specific field) include: commercial schools, art and design schools, etc.

This type also includes:

  • basic training courses with federal certificates and pre-apprenticeships

This type excludes:

agricultural vocational schools; basic training courses with federal certificates and pre-apprenticeships; business schools; commercial vocational schools; design schools, arts schools; higher vocational education; special education; technical or professional secondary education; trade schools; vocational schools; vocational schools, commercial, industrial; writers' award/work experience programme

Codification rules

If primary schools (852...) and secondary secondary schools (853...) activities are undertaken,
primary schools 852... takes priority.