Committed up to the last day: Dieter Schorno retires

“You need a great deal of conviction if you’re going to achieve something, and no one can do it alone,” says Schorno. “The freedom that ETH allowed me in my work was one of the things that motivated me to keep on developing the vocational education and training department,” he explains. “Another is that providing people with a platform on which to build the rest of their lives is a tremendous and valuable responsibility.”

Schorno himself has achieved a great deal with his communicative and understanding style. Under his guidance, the Vocational Education and Training department at ETH has seen considerable development: when he began in 1998, there were 95 apprentices at ETH; this summer, there will be 175 in 15 vocational fields. The number of different apprenticeships at ETH has also increased: in recent years, programmes have been added for Mediamatics, Interactive Media Design and Logistics.

In November 2014, an alumni network was set up for those who have trained in the department.

Recognition and attention

Looking back on his time at ETH, Schorno reflects with satisfaction on the recognition that vocational training enjoys in ETH’s academic environment. This is evident, for example, in the teaching laboratories: ETH inaugurated the biology teaching lab in 2015 at the Technopark, while a computer science lab was brought into service in 2016. Other training labs have followed in chemistry, electronics and physics.

ETH’s vocational training has also gained international political attention: delegations from, inter alia, Italy, the US and Korea have all stopped by to learn more – and federal councillor Johann Schneider-Ammann visited ETH’s in-house training workshop in October 2015.

Appreciation at the Vocational Training Conference

Schorno’s contribution was celebrated at ETH’s Vocational Training Conference in April. Lukas Vonesch, Head of Human Resources at ETH, recognises his achievements: “Dieter has developed and shaped vocational training at ETH with great commitment, considerable professionalism and strength of character.”

At the conference, Schorno handed over responsibility for the department to Jaquet. She studied educational science and training management, and was responsible for 85 apprentices across nine vocational fields during her time managing training networks at SBB and other transport companies.

As a parting gift, Schorno was given a special edition newspaper and received a standing ovation from those assembled. “Wonderful experiences like these are what makes working at ETH such a rich and varied experience,” he said, clearly moved.