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The canton announces a revolution in the panorama of professional schools in St. Gallen: the center for vocational and continuing education
for the health and social professions in St. Gallen moves to Rorschach, the school has to give way. The sudden restructuring was the subject of criticism.
A competence center for the health professions will be built at the Rorschach vocational training center. Current students will be distributed to surrounding schools.
The announcement of the State Chancellery sounds almost too nice: “The government wants to guarantee a high quality in the training of health professionals,” says the introduction. Therefore, he would like to create a competence center for the health professions in Rorschach. By grouping the health care professions in one place, “synergies will be unleashed and the quality of training increased.”
Alone: what at first glance sounds like an expansion of the current landscape of professional schools is actually a revolution. A commotion involving the decommissioning of one of the current nine locations. The professions that are taught today at the Rorschach Center for Advanced and Vocational Training (BZR), be it body builder, florist, clerk or multi-mechanic, will be distributed in the surrounding area. The vocational training center
for the health and social professions moves from St. Gallen to Rorschach, the school in the east of the city is closed. The canton wants to save two million francs in rental costs incurred annually in St. Gallen.
Faced with a fait accompli
Werner Fuchs, president of the BZR Professional Schools Commission, speaks of an impact for those affected. The school board was informed of the pivotal decision Tuesday without notice. He asks:
“Why are you trashing an established school out of nowhere?”
The canton gives more reasons for this sudden step: in the future, prospective logistics providers from Thurgau will no longer receive training in Rorschach, but in Arbon. This means that 200 out of a total of 1800 trainees will be lost. “The location of the Rorschach school therefore needs strengthening,” it says in the message. The government councilor Kölliker speaks of a “win-win situation” because it would ensure the location on the lake. “This means that the Rorschach school site may have promising future prospects,” the message reads.
“Quick take” or “top-down decision”
However, the criticism that the decisions were made above the heads of those involved is “justified”. “The government now had to take responsibility,” says the SVP’s governing council, speaking of a “top-down decision” in business English. And further: “We had to act now because the facts were very compelling.”
Werner Fuchs cannot understand this rush. He says:
“At first glance, the whole thing seems to me like a snapshot that was hit on a very unstable database.”
Chairman of the commission announces resistance
Nor does it skimp on criticism: contrary to government information, the school has no occupancy problems, but is overcrowded at the Rorschach location. The occupancy rate is around 90 percent. The school is also financially healthy and has a great reputation. The offer of additional training is also successful. It is not yet clear how things will continue with the approximately 2,000 training places. There is also a time of uncertainty for employees. “If he can, he will probably find another job.” Werner Fuchs announces:
“I will defend myself with all the means at my disposal against such an idea that is left to me.”
No job cuts in Rorschach, Altstätten insured
What the competence center for the health professions will one day look like is still open. Now the design is in place and detailed planning begins, says Kölliker. He has a time horizon of two to three years. For employees, at best, the workplace will change; job cuts are not the result of the decision.
The message also states that the Altstätten vocational school should definitely be preserved. The decision is also not a sign against the location of St. Gallen. The two most important vocational schools, the GBS vocational and advanced training mall and the KBZ vocational and advanced training mall, are preserved there. The fact that the Rorschach location will be closed in its current form is only hinted at between the lines.
Parties and associations react promptly
The SP also reacts harshly to the “simple announcement” with which the government announced the reorganization. “For the SP, it is incomprehensible why the education department and later the government made the decision without involving those affected and the political parties,” the party writes. It addresses another point: in the summer of 2019, the Cantonal Council commissioned the government to prepare a report on the strategic planning of vocational and secondary schools. According to the canton, this report should be ready in 2022. “Now there are two locations that are being significantly modified, without it being clear if this makes sense in an overview,” the message continues.
