Thousands of Swiss children explore careers on National Future Day

Thousands of children stepped into workplaces across Switzerland on Thursday, getting a close-up look at jobs and professions they might not encounter in everyday life. The 26th National Future Day brought girls and boys to their parents’ workplaces and into careers where their gender has been under-represented. More than 2,400 businesses and educational institutions took part, organisers said. The programme’s focus is on widening young people’s career horizons, giving them a chance to see how different jobs work and meet the people who do them. The day spans workplaces and special projects, from railway operations to newsrooms and government. Organisers reported that many special-project places were booked within the first hour after registration opened. The event is organised by equality offices and partners in 21 cantons, as well as the cities of Bern, Lucerne and Zurich and the Principality of Liechtenstein. Switzerland’s State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation also provides financial support.

Special projects opened 12,311 places for children, hosted by around 1,755 businesses, organisations and educational institutions. These targeted activities gave participants a route into careers and fields of work where their own gender has been under-represented. Many places filled within the first hour of registration opening, according to the National Future Day secretariat. Alongside the special projects, 680 companies registered to welcome their employees’ daughters and sons through the core programme. Those registrations are voluntary, and the organisation expects actual participation in the core programme to be higher. The two strands gave children different ways to spend the day: some joined a structured activity organised for Future Day, while others visited a parent’s workplace. Together, they put career exploration in familiar settings and in workplaces children may not otherwise see. The event has run annually for 26 years, with the aim of broadening young people’s ideas about the work they could pursue.

Swiss Federal Railways welcomed around 1,500 children and organised 120 special programmes for the day. Participants sampled practical parts of railway work: they could help plan a new train, follow the journey of a lost item, meet transport police officers or try a locomotive simulator. The activities offered different ways to understand the range of jobs behind the country’s rail network, from planning and passenger services to operating trains. The programme drew a large group of children to one of Switzerland’s major employers, while keeping the day focused on direct experience. Rather than only hearing about a profession, children could test a simulator or trace how an everyday railway problem is handled. The railway activities were one part of a national event involving businesses and educational institutions in multiple sectors. Across the day, Future Day’s special projects connected children with workplaces and tasks that can broaden their view of possible careers.

Eight children visited Swiss news agency Keystone-SDA in Bern, where they explored the agency’s work and careers in media. Their programme included a civics lesson, a visit to the Federal Palace’s media centre and a political event on Parliament Square. In a temporary newsroom set up in the agency cafeteria, the children produced reports, with the more colourful stories making the headlines for once. At CH Media in Aarau, Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis answered questions about his job and political life. The children asked about the global political situation and how he decided to become a Federal Councillor. Cassis said in a post that he was delighted by their curiosity. National Future Day is organised by equality offices and partners from 21 cantons, the cities of Bern, Lucerne and Zurich, and Liechtenstein, with support from the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation. The next event is scheduled for November 11, 2027.