Company Skillsonics exports vocational training

Franz Probst (62) has already enabled more than 5,000 Indians to study apprenticeship. His company Skillsonics carries out training for companies such as ABB, Bühler, Burckhardt Compression or Rieter. Now he wants to expand.

Swiss teaching for one million Indians

From cheese, chocolate and watches. Switzerland is becoming more and more famous abroad for its latest export hit: apprenticeships. Not only US presidential daughter Ivanka Trump (35) is thrilled (Blick reported). In many countries, interest in training is increasing according to the Swiss model.

Pioneering work is done by the Winterthur lawyer Franz Probst (62). Nine years ago, he founded the company Skillsonics, which carries out vocational training in India for the industrial groups ABB , Bühler and Rieter. Probst provides curricula and teaching aids, trains teachers and runs vocational schools.

That's why India

“Both sides benefit from the training. The Indian youth get a good job and the Swiss companies skilled workers, “says Probst, who formerly headed the Indo-Swiss Chamber of Commerce. And lived in India in his childhood – his father worked there for Rieter.

Thanks to Skillsonics, Probst has already made it possible to teach India 5,000 Indians. The industry association Swissmem checks the quality of training and issues certificates.

“The young people come partly from villages where there is no running water. For them, the training offers the opportunity for a great social advancement », says Probst. Soon, many more will benefit: “The goal is to train up to one million Indians in the next few years.” He finds fertile ground here: The Indian government plans to train some 500 million professionals by 2022.

That's how much training costs

Skillsonics wants to become self-supporting this year. For a year of training she gets from the companies 500 francs. Profit is needed to expand. And to offer lessons in other industries in the future. For Probst India is just the beginning: “Next year, we would like to start our project in South Africa .”