Image: Tatjana Schnalzger, SwissSkills

From 7 to 11 September, the spotlight at Bernexpo turned on the world of practical vocational training. At SwissSkills 2022 – the largest Swiss vocational championships yet – young people, their parents and interested onlookers were given a comprehensive picture of 150 professions. The event – held across an area of more than 100,000 square meters – was a total success and attended by over 120,000 visitors.

Successful UBS apprentices

In total, more than 1,000 talented young professionals took the stage, be it during the 65 vocational demonstrations or 87 competitions. Switzerland's best apprentices competed for the title of Swiss champion in their respective field. Eight apprentices from UBS qualified and competed for top places in software application development, and media and communications. They achieved outstanding results.

Application development

Rank

Rank

Name

Name

Rank

4th place

Name

Florin Matter

Rank

13th place

Name

Jeremias Bachmann

Rank

17th place

Name

Endrit Kukalaj

Rank

18th place

Name

Fabian Moor

Rank

22nd place

Name

Alexandra Fiechter

Rank

25th place

Name

Albin Smrqaku

Media and communications

Rank

Rank

Name

Name

Rank

9th place

Name

Chiara Korrodi

Rank

10th place

Name

Jean-Luc Hofer

From the Championship Class to the very top

The eight apprentices are all members of the UBS Championship Class. This group was created in 2018, following the successful participation of then UBS apprentices Philipp Schmid and Janis Marty. The program was created to provide additional support to talented trainees and to prepare them for the competitions. The Championship Class currently includes 15 apprentices from the fields of application development and, more recently, the field of media and communications.

The UBS apprentices at SwissSkills

Albin Smrqaku

Albin Smrqaku

Albin Smrqaku (17)
25th place at SwissSkills 2022
Application developer in his third year as an apprentice

Why I joined the Championship Class
I want to keep learning and improving.

What I enjoy most about my apprenticeship
Programming! And of course working closely with the team.

What I like to do in my free time
Playing video games.

Alexandra Fiechter

Alexandra Fiechter

Alexandra Fiechter (20)
22nd place at SwissSkills 2022
Application developer, apprenticeship completed in 2022

Why I joined the Championship Class
I was able to deepen my programming knowledge and skills, for example, with C#.

What I enjoy most about my apprenticeship
Besides my main job, I enjoyed supporting and participating in various UBS events.

What I like to do in my free time
I play piano and learn languages.

Chiara Korrodi

Chiara Korrodi

Chiara Korrodi (18)
9th place at SwissSkills 2022
Media and communications technician in her third year as an apprentice

Why I joined the Championship Class
My biggest motivation is the chance to develop myself and learn something new. During the apprenticeship, I can challenge myself and gain opportunities to demonstrate my abilities.

What I enjoy most about my apprenticeship
I enjoy my apprenticeship – a lot! For me, every day is a joy, and I can always take up new, exciting challenges. This gives me better insight into UBS and everyday business life.

What I like to do in my free time
In winter, I ski and snowboard and am involved as a leader in the Flims Ski Club. In summer, you can find me at the seaside or in the mountains, preferably with family and friends.

Endrit Kukalaj

Endrit Kukalaj

Endrit Kukalaj (20)
17th place at SwissSkills 2022
Application developer in his fourth year as an apprentice

Why I joined the Championship Class
Because I want to keep developing my skills.

What I enjoy most about my apprenticeship
I like to solve complex, technical problems and to program, of course.

What I like to do in my free time
I play soccer and like to watch games either in person or on TV. Otherwise, I’m into fitness and like to spend time with friends.

Fabian Moor

Fabian Moor

Fabian Moor (19)
18th place at SwissSkills 2022
Application developer in his fourth year as an apprentice

Why I joined the Championship Class
I’m motivated to keep developing my skills and to learn old technologies, such as FAT GUIs.

What I enjoy most about my apprenticeship
The work placement, where I’ve come into contact with the fast-paced production cycle. The speed there combined with apprentice projects in a team are wonderful training.

What I like to do in my free time
In my free time I collect and polish minerals

Florin Matter

Florin Matter

Florin Matter (18)
4th place at SwissSkills 2022
Application developer in his third year as an apprentice

Why I joined the Championship Class
I want to improve my skills, learn new things and naturally also get to know other IT apprentices.

What I enjoy most about my apprenticeship
The varied assignments and of course the team events.

What I like to do in my free time
I like to play drums and go scuba diving.

Jean-Luc Hofer

Jean-Luc Hofer

Jean-Luc Hofer (18)
10th place at SwissSkills 2022
Application developer in his third year as an apprentice

Why I joined the Championship Class
To gain experience in vocational championships and to compete with other apprentices in media and communications.

What I enjoy most about my apprenticeship
The variety and creativity that this profession allows, and the fact that I personally can have significant influence on the final product.

What I like to do in my free time
I am passionate about sports – football, basketball, snowboarding or going to the gym. I also follow Formula 1 and produce videos.

Jeremias Bachmann

Jeremias Bachmann

Jeremias Bachmann (19)
13th place at SwissSkills 2022
Application developer in his third year as an apprentice

Why I joined the Championship Class
My motivation to be part of the Championship Class is to take on new challenges, expand my skills, and compete with other apprentices.

What I enjoy most about my apprenticeship
I like to work on complex problems and am highly motivated to solve them.

What I like to do in my free time
Lots of sports and spending as much time as possible with my friends.

swiss-skills

We care about apprenticeships

Apprenticeships are a major foundation of the Swiss economy and improve the wellbeing of us all. As a main partner of SwissSkills and as one of Switzerland’s largest providers of vocational training, we are committed to helping you.