Education and Training

With your permit, you finally have access to vocational training and thus to better opportunities in the labour market. The first step, however, is to learn enough German. A2 is the minimum, B1 or B2 is better. As soon as you have the permit, you will receive a voucher from the canton for a free German course (80 hours in the first year). A list of all German courses in Basel can be found at deutschkurse.bs.ch. GGG Migration will advise you on which course is best for you (see 1 Welcome). There are also many free courses (see information material). If you speak French well, find out about the training opportunities in the canton of Jura.

Here are a few tips for vocational training:

Vocational guidance for adults (Berufsberatung)

There are 2,596 recognised professions in Switzerland. It is possible for adults to obtain a vocational qualification. It takes patience, but it’s worthwhile if you’re young. Visit a vocational guidance service (e.g., the Berufsinformationszentrum BIZ) to find out what is possible and realistic. In Basel-Stadt, there is the „Enter“ programme, which aims to help people aged 25 and over to catch up on their education. This programme is primarily intended for people who receive social assistance. However, it is possible to get a training place through Enter even without social assistance. But then the financing is the problem. The apprenticeship wage is too low to survive on. Then you have to see if catch-up training (you work and get a degree on the side) is possible. If you manage to catch up on training via Enter, you have access to counselling and (non-financial) support during the training period. A prerequisite for an apprenticeship is German, at least at level B1. If you are under 25 and want to do an apprenticeship, you can turn to „Gap“. There, similar support is available as in the Enter project.

Foreign diplomas

The career counselling service can also help if you have a foreign diploma that you would like to have recognised in Switzerland.

Only open to women

Perhaps you would like to become self-employed in the field of gastronomy. The Crescenda association runs courses in „business start-up“ (starting your own business), „care and housekeeping“ and „gastronomy“. The programme is only open to migrant women. Crescenda also has a professional catering kitchen that can be used for catering. Former undocumented migrants are welcome. The Crescenda team will also help you find financial support for training.

Nursing assistant (Pflegehelfer:in)

For the „Red Cross Course“ you need a B1 German certificate. It consists of 120 hours of theory lessons, 15 days of practical training and an examination. The course costs 2’450 francs. If you have been trained in the nursing field abroad and have practical experience, you can apply to the Red Cross for recognition of equivalence for 250 francs.

Information material

List of the Contact Point for undocumented migrants for German courses that are free or very cheap