Non-Academic Tertiary Education: A Comparison Between Italy, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom

Abstract

This article explores the institutional structures, models, and developmental trajectories of non-academic tertiary education in three European contexts: Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and Italy. The study highlights both convergences and divergences in how these systems respond to the increasing demand for work-oriented learning, technical specialization, and improved youth employability. While Switzerland offers a consolidated dual model rooted in strong cooperation between educational institutions and the labor market, the UK is undergoing structural reforms to strengthen a historically marginalized technical sector. Italy, in turn, represents a model in transition, with Higher Technological Institutes (also known as ITS Academies) ITS Academies emerging as a promising yet fragile example of dual integration between theory and practice. Beyond institutional specificities, the article proposes a pedagogical rethinking of vocational tertiary education as a space for reflective and transformative learning. Work is reframed not simply as an outcome but as a constitutive dimension of the educational process that is capable of empowering individuals and fostering meaningful personal and social development.