The Internationaler Bund (IB) has been active in Switzerland since 2017 with ENAIP Internationaler Bund GmbH. The company's main focus is on implementing vocational training measures, especially for people who have recently arrived in the country. Giuseppe Rauseo has been the Managing Director since 2019. He is also head of the OCST trade union's vocational training center in Lugano and president of Travail.Suisse Formation TSF in Bern. In this interview, he talks about the tasks and goals of ENAIP IB.
What exactly does ENAIP IB do?
ENAIP IB focuses especially on vocational training. The courses on offer are primarily aimed at the needs of employees in Switzerland who wish to complete initial and further training in German or Italian, particularly in the fields of construction and caretaking. In addition to vocational courses, we offer various language and integration courses as part of training programs and service contracts. To this end, we work together with professional associations, trade unions, the federal government and the cantons. We currently have five employees, one trainee and around 30 freelancers. Our locations are in Lucerne and Zurich.
What are your goals?
Our aim is to support people in their professional reorientation and to promote their integration into the labor market with targeted individual measures. ENAIP IB is a member of SVEB - the Swiss Association for Continuing Education - and Travail.Suisse Formation TSF - a continuing education organization that is active and represented in all language regions of Switzerland.
And how do you approach this?
We propose projects to companies that are funded by the federal government in the area of promoting basic skills in the workplace, such as German, French or IT courses. We are convinced that education is a central key to successful linguistic, social and professional integration. ENAIP IB therefore also participates in the Canton of Lucerne's "Simply better" education voucher program, which supports people who lack basic skills in reading, writing, arithmetic and IT.
What role does language play?
At ENAIP IB Lucerne, you can obtain the fide language certificate in the national language German at levels (CEFR) A1-B1. This certificate is recognized throughout Switzerland and is valid for authorities, residence permits, naturalization, further education or job searches. ENAIP IB is also an ECDL examination center. We attach great importance to the quality of the courses we offer and have been certified since the introduction of the eduQua certificate in 2000.
Can you say something about the current developments at ENAIP IB?
A lot is happening. Since September 2023, we have been working with the Syna trade union again in the area of language courses for its members. In 2023, cooperation with IB Germany has also intensified. There were several meetings between ENAIP IB and the IB as part of a future workshop in July and December last year. In particular, the field of International Migration Services (IMD), i.e. the recruitment of specialists from abroad, is the focus of the collaboration. An initial pilot project with a clinic has already been launched.
Questions by Carina Russo-Valdigem
