A new study by researchers at Oxford University shows a gigantic savings potential that could be achieved by decarbonizing the energy system by 2050. The researchers call it a win-win-win scenario, in which a rapid transition to clean energy results in lower energy system costs than a fossil fuel system. At the same time, more energy could be provided to the global economy and access to energy could be expanded to more people around the world. By increasing the use of solar and wind energy, batteries, electric vehicles and clean fuels such as green hydrogen (from renewable electricity), 55 percent more energy services could be made available worldwide. According to the researchers, this scenario is realistic.

Long too hesitant attitude of companies and governments

Study lead author Dr. Rupert Way, a postdoctoral researcher at Oxford's Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment, says, "Previous models predicting high costs for the transition to carbon-free energy have discouraged companies from investing. As a result, governments have also failed to enact policies that accelerate the energy transition and reduce dependence on fossil fuels. Yet the cost of clean energy has fallen sharply over the past decade, and much faster than the models expected." The latest research showed that the cost of key green technologies will continue to fall. "The faster we move forward, the more we will save. Accelerating the transition to renewables now is the best solution, not only for the planet but also for energy costs," Rupert Way said.

Decarbonization: Anything but costly

The researchers analyzed thousands of conversion cost scenarios generated by large energy models. Behind them are data on 45 years of solar energy costs, 37 years of wind energy costs and 25 years for battery storage. The researchers found that actual solar energy costs fell twice as fast as the most ambitious projections in these models, showing that previous models over the past 20 years have greatly overestimated the future costs of key clean energy technologies compared to reality. "There is a widespread misconception that the shift to clean, green energy will be painful, costly and involve sacrifice for all of us - but that is simply wrong," says Professor Doyne Farmer, who leads the team that conducted the study at the Institute for New Economic Thinking at Oxford Martin School. That's because renewable energy is already cheaper than fossil fuels in many situations, he says, and that trend will continue. "If we accelerate the transition, they will become cheaper even faster. If we completely replace fossil fuels with clean energy by 2050, we will save trillions of dollars," Professor Farmer said.

Further price reductions expected for batteries and hydrogen

The study also shows that the cost of key storage technologies such as batteries and hydrogen electrolysis is also likely to fall dramatically. At the same time, the cost of nuclear power has risen steadily over the past five decades, making it highly unlikely that it will be competitive with the falling costs of renewables and storage. Professor Farmer adds, "The world is facing a simultaneous inflation crisis, a national security crisis, and a climate crisis, all caused by our dependence on expensive, unsafe, and polluting fossil fuels with fluctuating prices. This study shows that ambitious policies that dramatically accelerate the transition to a clean energy future as quickly as possible are not only urgently needed for climate reasons, but can also save the world trillions in future energy costs and give us a cleaner, cheaper, and more energy secure future."

Meeting the energy crisis with decarbonization

Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the cost of fossil energy has skyrocketed, leading to inflation around the world. This study, conducted before the current crisis, takes into account such fluctuations using more than a century of fossil fuel price data. The current energy crisis, it says, underscores the study's findings and highlights the risks of continuing to rely on expensive, uncertain fossil fuels. The study also points out that the response to the crisis should be to accelerate decarbonization as quickly as possible, as this will benefit both the economy and the planet.

Source: Techexplore.com

The Corona pandemic has turned the world of work upside down within a short period of time. What was once unthinkable is now taken for granted. Some employees stay at home, and the home office has taken on a whole new dimension. How sustainable is this rapidly initiated change? And what of it should be dismissed as New Work bullshit? 230 participants received food for thought on these questions at the Ostschweizer Personaltag on September 15, 2022. The Ostschweizer Personaltag is one of the most important HR conferences in Eastern Switzerland. The aim is to bring together HR experts, HR specialists and HR managers as well as executives from SMEs and to address current issues.

HR to management

Stefan Camenzind, partner and CEO of Evolution Design in Zurich, explored the changes in the work environment as a result of the pandemic. According to his research, the home office has become well established, benefiting both the individual and the team. "However, the team spirit suffers," Camenzind said. From his point of view, it is important that Human Resources is represented in the management. Zurich media scientist, lecturer and author Sarah Genner said, "The smartphone is turning us into cyborgs. It functions almost like a new sensory organ." Despite "digital sand," there needs to be enough time for normal life at a time when technology has moved close to people.

Elke Thamm, Global Head of Personnel Development at the technology company Bühler, showed that as a company, they were not only surprised by the virus, but also surprised themselves in the implementation of new forms of work. Despite digital progress, interpersonal exchange should not be neglected.

Lots of "new work bullshit"

Carlos Frischmuth, Managing Director of the international HR consultancy Hays, also delivered pointed messages on the new world of work. The author of the book "New Work Bullshit" is convinced that with the right attitude and curiosity, transformation is predictable and not a surprise. He picked apart quite a few of the excesses that the hype surrounding New Work brings with it: For example, the desire to work more independently is by no means present in all employees. And agile methods are not that new either: In many cases, it is simply a matter of "agilizing" the good old waterfall model, according to Frischmuth. What counts more and more today, however, are leadership, culture and communication. And he sees the latter in particular as a key task.

www.personaltag.ch

The Institute of Financial Services at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts has published the current financing and treasury study for the year 2022. It examines how listed Swiss companies are financed and what options are available for action. For the analysis, data from the SMI and SPI companies are evaluated in each case.

Listed Swiss companies compare favorably with their international peers

The results of this year's study show: Distributions by all SPI companies, consisting of dividend payments, distributions from capital contributions and par value reductions, totaled 50.4 billion Swiss francs for the 2021 financial year. However, with a distribution yield of the Swiss Performance Index "SPI" of 2.41 percent, the relative dividend and capital repayment yield has reached a new low. This low results - despite high dividends - from the fact that share prices at the end of 2021 were around 20 percent higher than in the previous year. Share buybacks accounted for 24 percent of total distributions and share repurchases and amounted to 16.1 billion Swiss francs. The median market yield (earnings per share/share price) of SMI stocks was 5.1 percent in 2021, around one percentage point higher than in the previous year due to record earnings of certain stocks.

"The sum of distributions and share buybacks increased again in 2021," sums up Manuel Bauer, co-editor of the study and lecturer at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts. With six IPOs (volume 2.2 billion Swiss francs) and an identified capital increase volume of already listed companies of 2.3 billion Swiss francs, the Swiss equity market was also very active again. And in 2021, debt - in relative terms - actually declined. The data suggests that listed Swiss companies have a solid financial situation and that the capital market is supporting healthy growth. "It is no coincidence that Swiss companies have also performed well in an international comparison in recent years," Bauer said.

Higher interest-bearing debt, lower relative indebtedness

As of the end of 2021, the 167 non-financial companies surveyed had the following capital structure of the cumulative balance sheet total of CHF 871 billion: 43.9 percent equity and 56.1 percent debt. The interest rate situation in 2021 was again reflected in an increase in companies' short-term and long-term interest-bearing liabilities. Thus, interest-bearing liabilities increased by 45.8 percent to a total of 245 billion Swiss francs in the years 2012 to 2021, corresponding to an increase of 77 billion Swiss francs. Compared to the previous year 2020, this represents a further increase of nine percent. "The study once again showed the importance of financing with bonds, which account for three quarters of the interest-bearing debt outstanding on the market," explains Thomas Birrer, co-editor of the study and Professor of Corporate Finance at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts. The three largest non-financial companies, Nestlé, Roche and Novartis, together issued 65 percent of the total volume, indicating their significant importance in the Swiss capital market for non-banks, the finance expert said. With the increase in interest-bearing debt, net debt also increased by 30.2 percent since 2012. However, the median net debt/EBITDA ratio fell from 0.49x in 2012 to 0.38x in 2021, compared with 0.68x in the previous year.

Green bonds and sustainability-linked bonds on the rise

Environmental, social and governance (ESG) aspects are playing an increasingly important role in corporate decision-making. This is also true with regard to financial decisions. In this respect, it is hardly surprising that the global volume of green bonds issued more than doubled to 605 billion US dollars in 2021. Switzerland has also been busy issuing green bonds. Debt capital amounting to CHF 2.8 billion was raised in 16 transactions. As predicted in last year's study, the growth trend continued in 2021 and this is likely to be the case in the coming years. "In this respect, it will be interesting to observe what proportion will be financed green in the future," says Thomas Birrer.

Working Capital Management

As part of this year's study, the HSLU research team also examined the working capital management of listed Swiss companies for the first time in the period 2012-2021. The customers of the companies studied paid their invoices 6 days earlier in 2021 compared to 2012. At the same time, they paid their supplier invoices 7 days later on average during this period. By collecting customer payments earlier and paying supplier invoices later, these companies saved about 17 billion in cash during the corresponding period, all other things being equal. In the first Corona year 2020, no significant changes were observed in the payment behavior of companies compared with the previous year.

Source: Lucerne University

The QR invoice, or more precisely the receipt called the QR payment part, consists of the Swiss QR code and a visual part that shows the invoice details as plain text. These two elements must match when it reaches the person liable for payment. This means that neutral receipts in which the payer's address and the invoice amount are missing cannot be reprinted by the biller himself. In this case, the expense is shifted to the payer. In the case of payments via digital channels, such as e- or mobile banking, this is usually not a problem because his address data is automatically enriched after logging into the banking application.

Blank QR invoices mean costly additional effort

The situation is somewhat different when paying via classic channels, especially at the post office counter. Before the payer can pay such a QR invoice at the post office counter, he must add his address and the invoice amount by hand. What does not sound like much effort for 1-2 invoices per month, quickly becomes tedious once he pays 10-20 invoices per month. In this case, he should ask the billers to send him a completely filled out QR payment section.

Complete QR payment parts are also in the interest of the biller

Incomplete QR payment parts are not only a nuisance for payers, but also disadvantageous for the biller himself. Swiss Post charges a fee of CHF 0.84 per payment for the manual re-entry of address and amount - in addition to the usual counter deposit fees. With 100 invoices per month, this results in additional costs of CHF 84 per month or over CHF 1,000 per year. These expenses are completely unnecessary and the CHF 9 per month incurred for the use of QR Module is a piece of cake compared to this.

The most convenient option: pdf invoices by e-mail

For payers who like to use digital channels, a media break-free process would be the most efficient anyway. In this case, they would receive QR invoices in pdf format via e-mail. Many banks in Switzerland already offer the option of uploading such pdf invoices into the eBanking application or dragging and dropping them in, where the Swiss QR Code is then automatically read. After that, the payer only checks the payment data and releases the payment if everything is ok. This process is even faster and easier than paying an eBill, because he can view the invoice details in the pdf invoice and does not have to log in to a third party website first for this. In addition, the invoice can be quickly archived on the user's own device or the email system can be used as an archive. QR Module offers the option to send QR invoices directly from the application via e-mail. This not only optimally serves the payers, but also the billers, who thus minimize their billing effort.

Source: www.qrmodul.ch

The show "Die Höhle der Löwen" is already being broadcast in 35 countries, including Switzerland. In the USA, the format has been running under the title "Shark Tank" since 2009 and has enabled several thousand new jobs since its first broadcast. Each episode, several young entrepreneurs present their innovative business ideas and concepts to investors and compete for their investment.

In the Swiss edition of the show, a total of 44 startups will also be venturing into the Lion's Den in the upcoming season, ranging from the lifestyle to the finance to the mobility industry. For example, the four-member founding team of the Zurich-based startup refluence, which offers a mediation service for influencers and companies due to the increasing demand for influencer marketing. Or the Zug-based start-up Splint Invest, which developed an application that makes it possible to easily invest in alternative investments, including shares for luxury watches, rare whisky or fine wine, with just one click. A founding duo from Zurich created prosthetic forearms under the name mac4u Explorer, which enable people with physical disabilities to engage in sports and other leisure activities. Zurich-based startup Dancing Queens is also hoping for an investment. They offer modular dance shoes that allow people to dance through entire nights without pain. RIBE Moto from Zurich operates a rental platform for motorcycles that, among other things, reduces the administrative burden for users.

Which of these startups will succeed in past relay record and who will go away empty-handed? This is decided not least by the investors, the so-called "lions". As in the last season, these are business apartment pioneer Anja Graf, tech entrepreneur Bettina Hein, online retail expert and founder of brack.ch Roland Brack, sustainability entrepreneur Tobias Reichmuth, Amorana co-founder and CEO Lukas Speiser, investment firm owner Jürg Schwarzenbach of Marcaro, and startup coach and co-owner of Great Place to Work Patrick Mollet.

More information

The latest ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey shows: Despite global as well as regional risks, Swiss employers are optimistic. For Q4 2022, the employment outlook is 21%, with a net employment outlook of 30% expected globally. "Taking into account that the survey was conducted under the impact of increased geopolitical and economic risks, the war in Ukraine or the aftermath of the pandemic, the employment outlook is still considered positive. It is noteworthy that in the area of sustainability or ESG, companies cite social aspects such as health, diversity or social commitment in the first place. This is an indicator that there is a growing awareness of the need to invest in human capital in a sustainable way in order to attract and retain employees and to meet needs such as flexibility," says Jan Jacob, Country Manager ManpowerGroup Switzerland, summarizing the Swiss labor market.

People qualified for the area of sustainability in demand

Many companies have a sustainability or ESG program. However, the focus varies and different skills are sought accordingly. In the next 12 months, 37% of the companies surveyed plan to hire employees who can support improvements in environmental impacts. 34% are looking for professionals who can develop governance and 33% are looking for talent who can drive social aspects such as safety, health, diversity or community engagement. According to the companies surveyed, ESG programs are/were introduced primarily to reduce costs, comply with regulations, or build reputation. Furthermore, values, external expectations, but also the benefits for employee recruitment and retention were cited as important reasons for implementing sustainable strategies.

To implement their sustainability strategy, 80% of the companies surveyed rely on internal solutions (multiple answers possible). Employees are to be further qualified and trained (43%), additional employees are to be hired (39%) and additional ESG responsibilities are to be assigned to existing functions (37%). 29% of companies rely on external consultants to become more sustainable. Only 8% of respondents said that all the necessary skills are available within the company. "Employees with expertise in the areas of environment, health and safety are most sought after. The top 10 mentions for specific skills include recycling and waste management, ecosystem and biodiversity management, workforce planning or cybersecurity. This shows how versatile companies are in their approach to the topic of sustainability," Jan Jacob emphasizes.

Employment outlook remains optimistic

The positive hiring intentions of Swiss employers this year will remain in place in the fourth quarter of 2022. 36% of companies plan to hire staff, 16% foresee layoffs. The resulting adjusted net employment outlook* of 21% joins the above-average outlook this year. Compared to the fourth quarter of 2021 (8%), the employment outlook improves by 14 percentage points. All seven Swiss regions report positive employment prospects for the fourth quarter of 2022. The optimistic trend thus continues this year, with net employment prospects forecast to decline in 5 of 7 regions compared with the third quarter of 2022.

Primary and secondary sectors booming

With the exception of the "banking, finance, insurance and real estate" sector, the employment outlook for Q4 2022 is positive in all sectors of the economy, as it is compared with Q4 2021. Compared with Q3 2022, however, 6 of 11 sectors report a decline in employment. Employees in "primary production" benefit most from the positive development (net employment outlook: +21 percentage points compared to Q3 2022, +33 percentage points compared to Q4 2021). The employment outlook is also exceptional for the "Production, processing" segment. Here, a net employment outlook of 34% is expected. This represents an increase of 20 percentage points from Q4 2021. One possible reason for the increases in the employment outlook in these two segments could be employers planning ahead to better respond to supply shortages. The energy sector in particular is booming. Skilled workers in photovoltaics are particularly sought after, underscoring this sector's performance.
The decline in hiring (-8% Net Employment Outlook Q4 2022, -37 percentage points from Q3 2022) in the "Banking, Finance, Insurance, and Real Estate" sector is likely due to economic conditions.

Source: Manpower Group

SMEs can also achieve more than they think with limited budget, time and influence. Sustainability is often seen as a continuous process of change. Due to constantly changing framework conditions, it is important to review further measures and the achievement of objectives at certain intervals. A new sustainability guide for SMEs from OBT and HSG St.Gallen provides concrete instructions and practical examples.

A topic that affects everyone

The fact is that the topic of sustainability now affects all of us, whether personally or as a company, regardless of size and industry. However, practice shows that there is still a lot to be done and that the differences between companies are still very large: On the one hand, there are SMEs that are already considered pioneers when it comes to sustainability; on the other hand, there are those companies that are only beginning to ask themselves what measures might even make sense. And there is another group: those SMEs that underestimate their possibilities for contributing to greater sustainability or overestimate the effort involved. "Because even with supposedly small measures, a lot could be achieved over time. In our opinion, there is a lack of overview and inspiration - especially examples from SMEs for SMEs," write the editors of the new SME Guide to Sustainability. Too often, they say, the sustainability discourse takes place at the level of large companies, even though two-thirds of employees in Switzerland work in SMEs. The leverage to make a difference would therefore be great, they continue.

Sustainability guide with broad-based knowledge

This was motivation enough to develop a sustainability guide specifically for SMEs. According to the editors, they want to make a small contribution to even more sustainable business practices in the Swiss SME landscape and beyond. The sustainability guide first provides an overview of the concept of sustainability and explains sustainability standards and certifications. It then outlines ways in which the need for action can be identified and measures implemented - pragmatically and/or with a systematic approach. How sustainability can be communicated and continuously developed is also explained, and resources are also mentioned where SMEs can get external support.

The Sustainability Guide for SMEs is broadly based and brings together perspectives from theory and practice. Interview partners such as Stefan Aerni (Quality & Sustainability Manager at Dolder Hotel AG), Olmar Albers (Managing Director öbu - Association for Sustainable Business), Josephine Herzig (Co-Director Engagement Programs, B Lab Switzerland) or Stephen Neff (CEO, Foundation myclimate) have contributed their knowledge. The SME guide can be downloaded directly from the website of OBT and is also available as a short extract.

The Swiss IT company UMB has already received accolades from the experts on workplace culture in the past, as the company has already been voted the best Swiss employer in its category five times by Great Place to Work. Martin Gartmann, CEO of UMB: "It all started with a clear vision of becoming the best employer in Europe. Now we have achieved this goal, and we are incredibly proud of it as a team. We will do everything we can to continue to be the first address for ambitious IT talent in the future."

The UMB corporate culture

At UMB, corporate culture has always been a significant factor in the company's development. This is reflected in the fact that colleagues are taken seriously and involved in decisions at all times. Thus, everyone at UMB can get involved in the strategy process. In addition, the company operates an open information policy. Information about figures, strategies or personnel changes is provided openly and honestly on a regular basis - even negative topics are communicated at eye level. Moreover, UMB not only maintains generous training funds, but also its own security fund, from which colleagues are financially supported in emergency situations. This fund has been used several times in recent years.

The Great Place to Work Trust Model™

Great Place to Work uses a rigorous, data-driven model to quantify employee experience, the Great Place to Work Trust Model™. Since 1992, this trust model has been used to survey more than 100 million employees around the world, using these deep insights to define what makes a great workplace: trust. Employees of a great workplace trust the people they work for, take pride in their work, and enjoy working with them. Further, Grat Place to Work's For-All methodology builds on the trust model by ensuring that every single employee, regardless of who they are or what they do for their company, has a consistently positive workplace experience. The For All methodology is used to evaluate all Best Workplace Lists™.

Source and further information: UMB 

Revendo has big plans for the future. In Switzerland, the company has already been able to establish its refurbished concept and, according to its own statements, has become the market leader in this area. Only recently, the company has become a Partnership with a major telecom service provider received.

New Chairman of the Board of Directors of Revendo: Rolf G. Schmid

Now Revendo wants to use the coming years to further expand its presence in Switzerland and establish itself as a brand in Austria and Germany. The big goal is to give one million devices a second life every year by 2025. A great deal of know-how is needed on the way to achieving this major goal. The company has now brought this on board in the form of Rolf G. Schmid and appointed him Chairman of the Board. The former managing director of the mountain sports company Mammut Sportsgroup AG brings with him 20 years of experience in internationalization and retail. Rolf G. Schmid, the new Chairman of the Board of Directors of Revendo, established the Mammut brand internationally and increased sales tenfold. He therefore has the strategic experience that Revendo needs for its next entrepreneurial development steps. Today, Rolf G. Schmid is a full-time member of the Board of Directors of various companies, including Competec AG / Brack, Die Mobiliar, Mobility and Fenix Outdoor International AG.

Continuing the growth course with broader management

In addition, Revendo restructured its operational management team at the beginning of the year and broadened the individual areas of responsibility. As a result of the increase in expertise, certain positions have been strengthened and others supplemented. With these changes, Revendo believes it is well equipped for sustainable growth in the DACH region. The management team is now composed as follows: For Finance, Revendo was able to recruit Daniela Leipert as CFO, who previously held senior positions in the finance and controlling departments in the pharmaceutical industry. Marketing is now headed by Mirco Helbling as CMO. He previously worked as
Marketing Manager at PCP Group and Mobilezone. Revendo was able to recruit Franziska Buser as CHRO to head the Human Resources department. She worked for many years as Head of School. Roman Holzweber heads Operations as COO and previously worked in the service sector at Sony and at Bachmann. Christian Rickenbacher was recruited internally as CTO. Laurenz Ginat, Co-Founder and Managing Director takes over the position of Chief Retail Officer to expand the retail business across countries and Aurel Greiner, Founder and Managing Director takes over the position of CEO.

Source: Revendo

Green Economy is one of the most important future trends. In the near future, more and more companies are likely to be involved in some form of concrete sustainable products - and for everyone else, regulations and other constraints such as climate change and the energy crisis alone are likely to lead to an increased focus on sustainable business. The current energy supply situation clearly shows that we now have to "make up for lost ground," he said. "We are not facing the energy crisis, we are in it," said Bern's mayor Alec von Graffenried in his welcoming message on the first day of the Swiss Green Economy Symposium SGES, and he admitted: "We have to act now."

SGES: The "green" business summit since 2013

Since 2013, the Swiss Green Economy Symposium (SGES) has been using concrete examples to show how business, politics, science and NGOs can jointly contribute to greater prosperity, environmental protection and more peaceful coexistence. This year's event was held under the motto "Working together responsibly and courageously". On the two symposium days of September 7 and 8, 2022, current issues around circular economy, climate protection and social responsibility were discussed in plenary sessions and various so-called innovation forums. A highlight was the keynote speech by Prof. Dr. Ernst Ulrich von Weizsäcker, Honorary President of the Club of Rome, who first pointed out the limits to growth 50 years ago. Today, it must be stated that the appeals of 1972 have unfortunately become more urgent - worldwide, but also in Switzerland.

Climate protection: Do we still have enough time?

On the first day of SGES 2022, for example, Katrin Schneeberger, Director of the Federal Office for the Environment FOEN, provided an overview of the status of the circular economy in Switzerland. Although much is already being done, there is still a lot of room for improvement, she said: for example, only 12 percent of all Swiss companies have their own circular activities in their business. Only 9 percent invest more than 10 percent in the circular economy. And likewise, only 12 percent of Swiss companies generate more than 10 percent of sales with circular economy. On the subject of climate protection, National Councilor Jürg Grossen fired a broadside against the Federal Council. He said that the Federal Council had failed to set the course in good time and now had to take emergency measures on an ongoing basis. Jürg Grossen sees the greatest opportunities in digitization: Thanks to smart technology, up to 80 percent of energy can be saved, as he explained with reference to his own company building. "That's what we need to talk about, not more energy production," Grossen said. A sign of how proverbially heated the discussion currently is was probably also the action of some climate activists. They unceremoniously stormed the stage and demanded of panelist Juan Beer, CEO of Zurich Insurance, that his company abandon all investments in oil and gas on the spot. "We are in a transition, and it takes time," Beer's replica said, stressing that the first steps to phase out oil and gas had already been taken.

Existing narratives no longer work, as David Schärer from Rod Kommunikation also emphasized on the first day of the symposium. Companies need to become even more aware of their social responsibility. There are more and more examples of this. A pioneer in this area is Migros, for example, which invests considerable sums in social and cultural life every year with its cultural percentage.

Climate protection in companies: Still much to do

How much courage and responsibility are necessary for safe and sustainable energies was discussed in depth on the second day of the event. The question of how a global and sustainable Switzerland can be achieved through more cooperation was also discussed. As on the first day, various innovation forums took place, which dealt with circular economy, climate protection and social responsibility with a focus on individual industries. For example, they dealt with energy management in buildings, urban logistics, sustainable financing instruments, sustainability communication or concrete climate protection in companies. The Swiss Climate Action Initiative (SCAI) was presented in this context. One of its aims is to develop a guide for SMEs that they can use to draw up their own roadmap for achieving climate targets. The initiative also focuses on a climate information cockpit and the implementation of climate protection along the entire supply chains.

Next SGES: September 6-7, 2023

In addition to the presentations and the innovation forums, a small exhibition was held with 16 participating organizations. The focus was on different innovations for the way to achieve individual of the 17 sustainability goals of the UN. For example, solutions made of bioplastics were on display, as were sustainable building materials and consulting and training services. With a total of 250 speakers, 16 innovation forums and 11 keynotes, the SGES certainly lived up to its claim of being Switzerland's most comprehensive business summit on the Green Economy. Nevertheless, at times one could still get the impression of moving in a "bubble of like-minded people" for whom the direction is clear: words must now be followed by deeds. Ideologically colored lightning actions or consistent obstructionism are not very effective. Nevertheless, the direction of Goal No. 17 of the UN 2030 Agenda was right on both symposium days: "Strengthen means of implementation and breathe new life into the global partnership for sustainable development". The next Swiss Green Economy Symposium will take place on September 6-7, 2023.

More information

Can you learn entrepreneurship? At the latest since the SwissSkills 2022 we know the answer: Yes, it can be done. Because for the first time in history, the competition in the discipline of entrepreneurship was held at the Swiss Professional Championships from September 7 to 10. Raymond Tea and Ralf Boltshauser were crowned the first Swiss champions on September 10, 2022. They recently completed vocational training as application developers. Ralf Boltshauser comes from Fehraltorf and Raymond Tea from Gundetswil. Second place went to Julia Koch and Maria Näf from Thurgau, and the bronze medal went to Gian Wyss from Willisau and Yannick Tschuor from Adligenswil. The winning team will represent Switzerland at the EuroSkills in Gdansk in 2023 and at the WorldSkills in Lyon in 2024.

Great interest and ideas with potential

Around 150 young people from vocational education and training applied for the first championship in entrepreneurship last winter. Eight teams from the different language regions of Switzerland, 19 people in total, made it to the finals at SwissSkills 2022. Over four days, they put their entrepreneurial skills to the test. At the beginning of SwissSkills, they were given the task: Within three days, the finalists had to develop a business idea that would contribute to achieving the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal 3. This goal aims to ensure a healthy life for all people of all ages and to promote their well-being. The winning team's business idea was an app that promotes habits that strengthen physical and mental health.

During the preparations, the teams were accompanied by seven coaches from the startup scene. These evaluated their performance during the process. The final presentations on Saturday were evaluated by three external jury members (Michael Koch, Sandra Schnyder and Matthias Peterhans). In total, the final score was made up of 24 criteria. Among other things, the feasibility and financing had to be guaranteed and the business idea had to be presented convincingly.

"We learned an incredible amount during the competition".

"It was very inspiring to work with seven other innovative, motivated teams on SDG 3, which is about global health. And it was an incredible feeling to win a discipline that is being done for the first time," says winner Ralf Boltshauser. His teammate Raymond Tea adds, "We learned an incredible amount during the competition. Winning is great, but taking part and getting to know the coaches was the very best thing." Thomas Heimann, Executive Director of IG EntrepreneurSkills, is very satisfied with the first EntrepreneurSkills: "I am proud that we were able to hold the first Swiss Championships in Entrepreneurship at SwissSkills 2022". National Councilor and entrepreneur Andri Silberschmidt is the president of IG EntrepreneurSkills. For him, entrepreneurial thinking and action are key competencies for actively shaping the future of Switzerland in a responsible and innovative way: "The first-time staging of EntrepreneurSkills is a complete success. At last, young professionals have been able to compete in entrepreneurship and we have created a discipline of the future that will compete for medals at the Euro- and Worldskills".

The emergence of EntrepreneurSkills

A year and a half ago, various organizations - including the Swiss Conference of Directors of Vocational Schools, which is responsible for the UDH project (which aims to systematically anchor entrepreneurial thinking and action in basic vocational education), and FH Schweiz, the umbrella organization for FH graduates - decided to organize the Entrepreneurship competition. All participating organizations want to use EntrepreneurSkills to promote and make visible entrepreneurial thinking and action in vocational education and training.

Source and further information: www.entrepreneurskills.ch/

Since Wednesday, September 7, 2022, more than 1000 young professionals have chosen the Swiss champions at 87 professional competitions. At the three-hour awards ceremony on Saturday evening, which was marked by a lot of emotion, the top three finishers in each profession received a medal. The Debrunner Acifer Trophy for the best Swiss champion went to Matthias Baumann. He receives a hybrid passenger car at his free disposal for one year.

Record SwissSkills 2022

It has become already in the run-up signed off: SwissSkills 2022 will go down in history with several records. More than 1,000 young vocational talents took part in 87 competitions and 65 vocational demonstrations, and the organizers counted 120,000 visitors, 64,000 of them schoolchildren. For the arrival of the school classes, the SBB used 40 extra trains. The competitions and performances took place at around 250 stands, and the area around Bernexpo covered 100,000 square meters. More than 10,000 people were involved in the preparation and execution of the event. OC President Daniel Arn is very satisfied and happy: "I am absolutely delighted that everything went off without any major incidents. SwissSkills 2022 will remain in my memory as a wonderful event."

Proud Federal Council

Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin congratulated each winner personally. In his speech, he expressed his pride in the participants of SwissSkills 2022, saying that they had given their best and had shed an extraordinary light on the enormous diversity of vocational education and training in our country, its quality and efficiency.

"You belong to the elite of Swiss vocational education and training," the enthusiastic Minister of Economic Affairs called out to the professional talents. Parmelin expressed his conviction that those winners who participate in the international competitions EuroSkills 2023 and WorldSkills 2024 would represent Switzerland in a worthy manner. He also wished the SwissSkills National Team every success for the upcoming World Skills Competition 2022. The decentralized competition format takes place in 15 countries, including six Swiss cities.

Family day last highlight

On Sunday, 11 September 2022, SwissSkills 2022 came to an end with a final highlight. Under the title "Best of SwissSkills", visitors had the opportunity to try out for themselves most of the 150 professions presented. In addition, the newly crowned professional champions were available for discussions.

OC President Daniel Arn is delighted that the Swiss Vocational Championships have met with such great interest. He was particularly impressed by the interest shown by schoolchildren who have yet to complete their vocational training: "On weekdays, tens of thousands of schoolchildren flocked to the grounds when the doors opened. Most of them were interested in the professions, went to the stands, got information and didn't kill time in a corner somewhere. The young people were literally on their way to their professional future."

Next SwissSkills in three years

Organizing the Swiss Professional Championships means a great deal of effort every time. Without the support of the trade fair location Bernexpo, the public sector and sponsors, it would not work, says Daniel Arn. The professional associations and their participants also brought life to the stands with their facilities and demonstrations. Daniel Arn: "Without them, there would be no SwissSkills!"

Is it possible to top this year's edition of SwissSkills? Hardly, admits Daniel Arn. "We have reached the capacity limit. Nevertheless, there will always be opportunities to gain a few square meters at one location or another, for example if a new association wants to participate in SwissSkills. But we don't want to define ourselves simply by size. Growing in quality is much more important to us." With these prerequisites in mind, they are now planning the next SwissSkills, which will once again take place in Bern in 2025.

Source: www.swiss-skills.ch; the complete rankings are available here: swiss-skills2022.ch/en/competition/results