Talents in Science at Swiss Skills 2025

The annual Swiss Skills event took place in Bern from 17 to 21 September 2025: more than 1,000 young professionals competed in Switzerland's largest career show in over 150 professions – from crafts and technology to services, health and gastronomy. For thousands of young people, Swiss Skills is a unique opportunity to experience professions up close and find out about training opportunities. Together with aprentas, BASF, CSL Vifor, Novartis, Roche, Sika and Syngenta, the joint initiative for young talent, "Talents in Science", presented itself at stand 110 in hall 3.2 with a unified appearance. The common goal: to introduce young people to the fascinating world of careers in chemistry, pharmaceuticals and life sciences.

Experiencing enthusiasm through hands-on activities

At the joint booth, school pupils were able to get involved at interactive stations and try out typical activities carried out by chemical and biological laboratory assistants as well as chemical and pharmaceutical technicians (CPT). Around 3,000 young people visited the stand, carried out over 2,000 experiments and gained an authentic insight into everyday working life in the industry. The combination of practical experiments, direct interaction with students and training managers, and a digital photo station generated lively interest and lasting impressions. Instead of traditional advertising materials, the focus was on personal contact – a deliberate approach designed to foster genuine curiosity.

Joint appearance, common goal

The participation of seven leading companies and training associations impressively demonstrated how strongly the industry is jointly investing in promoting young talent. The chemical and pharmaceutical industry is one of the most training-intensive sectors in Switzerland: over 250 member companies of scienceindustries train thousands of skilled workers every year, thereby securing the long-term innovative strength of the location.

Anchored in a long-term strategy for young talents

The appearance at Swiss Skills is part of the ongoing Talents in Science campaign, in which scienceindustries, together with its partners – currently aprentas, BASF, Bayer, dsm-firmenich, Lonza, Novartis, Roche, Siegfried, Sika and Syngenta – is strengthening the appeal of scientific professions and promoting the visibility of dual vocational training. Talents in Science's first participation in Swiss Skills was a success – for young people, the industry and vocational training. It showed how strong interest in scientific professions remains when young people can see, experience and understand them.