CV for an Additional Apprenticeship: Example and Template
This shows how to demonstrate in a Swiss CV that you obtained a second EFZ through an additional apprenticeship - and what your initial occupation contributes to this.
Currently 4 open Additional Apprenticeship (EFZ) positions in Switzerland, across 3 cantons, 1 of them from the last 7 days. Coop advertises the most.
CV example — two-page template
This template is editable straight away — or upload your existing CV and it is carried into this layout automatically.
Which Qualification Should Come First in the CV - the Initial Occupation or the Additional Apprenticeship?
Place the most recently obtained EFZ at the top and list the first EFZ directly below it, since it explains your professional experience.
An additional apprenticeship is a shortened form of basic vocational training under Art. 18 of the Vocational Training Act (BBG): because you already hold an EFZ or EBA, the training period is usually reduced from three to two years, and you are generally exempt from general education classes and sport. State this explicitly in your CV, for example 'Healthcare Assistant EFZ, additional apprenticeship (shortened, 2 years), Berufsfachschule Winterthur, 2024'. This lets HR staff see at a glance that you are not a career changer without a qualification, but hold a full federal diploma.
State both qualifications with the year and school, because the combination is your selling point. A Cook EFZ combined with a Healthcare Assistant EFZ, a Logistics EFZ combined with a Commercial Employee EFZ, or an Automotive Assistant EBA combined with an Automotive Specialist EFZ: each of these combinations generates expertise that candidates trained in a single field lack. Spell out this transfer concretely in your differentiators, rather than speaking generally of 'versatility'.
Also check whether, in your canton, you used validation of prior learning or catch-up training under Art. 32 BBV instead of an additional apprenticeship. These pathways also lead to an EFZ but are named differently and are read differently by HR departments. Name the pathway precisely and add the grade from the qualification procedure or the individual practical work if it is 5.0 or higher.
How Do I Present the Initial Occupation and the Additional Apprenticeship in a Convincing Order?
List the training period of the additional apprenticeship like a regular position with figures, and keep the initial occupation to two or three measurable points.
Many applicants hide the additional apprenticeship under the education section, which makes it look as though they did not work for two years. It is better to list the training period as its own entry under professional experience, with the company, department, period and three to four quantified points - such as the number of clients, residents, orders or machines handled, plus grades from inter-company courses and work and learning situations. This way, the two years read as documented practice rather than a gap.
Trim the initial occupation down to what counts in the new profession. Seven years in the kitchen should not become ten bullet points, but three: the scope of responsibility expressed in figures, a cost-related achievement, and the training of apprentices. Cut anything that does not support your new target profile, without replacement. When moving into care, social support work, or commercial roles, what matters is shift suitability, customer contact or process discipline - not the variety of recipes.
Be prepared for the salary question too: during the additional apprenticeship, adults typically receive a negotiated adult wage of between CHF 2'000 and CHF 3'200 per month, depending on industry and canton; after completion, starting salaries with an EFZ typically range between CHF 60'000 and CHF 75'000 per year, depending on the occupation and region. If you state a salary expectation in your cover letter or interview, base your argument on the years from your initial occupation, not on the apprenticeship year.
How Long, With a Photo - and What Else Do Swiss Employers Expect?
Two pages, a professional portrait photo, and a complete dossier with references and both certificates of proficiency are the standard.
Keep the CV to a maximum of two pages, even if you can show two qualifications and several positions. A photo is still customary in Switzerland and is expected by many employers: plain background, work attire or a shirt, no holiday snapshot. In the header, add your place of residence, citizenship or permit type (for example, settlement permit C), a phone number in the format 079 000 00 00, and a professional email address.
The dossier should include both certificates of proficiency with grade transcripts, all references in reverse chronological order, current course certificates such as BLS-AED-SRC or the vocational trainer course, and - depending on the occupation - a criminal record extract or a special private extract. In healthcare and social care professions, the special private extract is frequently requested; mention that it will be provided on request rather than enclosing it unsolicited.
Expect the question of why you changed profession. In your profile, formulate one forward-looking sentence about it: the wish to work with people, more regulated shifts, physical sustainability, or development prospects towards a Higher Vocational College (Höhere Fachschule). Anyone who fits this reasoning cleanly into three lines and backs it up with figures from the additional apprenticeship comes across as a deliberate, decisive professional - not as someone simply trying something new.
Where Additional Apprenticeship (EFZ) are hired in Switzerland
How the 4 open positions are spread across the cantons.
Figures as a table
| Canton | postings |
|---|---|
| Bern | 1 |
| Solothurn | 1 |
| Freiburg | 1 |
Which languages the postings require
Of 3 postings that state a language — in brackets, those requiring professional level.
Figures as a table
| Language | postings |
|---|---|
| German | 3 (3) |
Who hires Additional Apprenticeship (EFZ) in Switzerland
Employers with the most open positions. Staffing agencies are excluded.
Figures as a table
| Employer | postings |
|---|---|
| Coop | 4 |
Full-time or part-time?
How the positions are advertised.
Figures as a table
| Workload | postings |
|---|---|
| Vollzeit / plein temps | 4 |
The CV in full
To read through and reuse.
Marco Bühlmann
Healthcare Assistant EFZ (Additional Apprenticeship) · Cook EFZ
Healthcare Assistant EFZ with a prior background as Cook EFZ and seven years of catering experience, who completed the shortened second vocational training in 2024 with an overall grade of 5.3. In long-term care, I am responsible for primary care of 9 residents, administer medication according to the 6-R rule, and independently carry out BESA assessments. My culinary background brings HACCP-based hygiene safety, resilience in shift work, and a trained eye for nutrition and malnutrition into daily care practice.
What sets me apart
Two Occupational Fields, One Profile: Cook EFZ and Healthcare Assistant EFZ: I identify chewing and swallowing difficulties, coordinate dietary forms (pureed food, diabetic diet) with the kitchen, and thereby reduced weight loss in 14 residents within 6 months.
Shortened Basic Training with Adult Maturity: I completed the additional apprenticeship under Art. 18 BBG at the age of 26 in 2 years, exempt from general education classes and sport, with 100 percent attendance at vocational school and inter-company courses.
Hygiene and Process Reliability: Applied HACCP thinking from the kitchen to care work: I revised the checklist for cleaning care trolleys, raising internal hygiene inspection compliance from 78 to 96 percent.
A Natural for Practical Training: Completed a vocational trainer course and mentored a total of 5 apprentices across 2 companies - including 3 work and learning situations (ALS) and preparation for the individual practical work (IPA).
Key achievements
Completed Additional Apprenticeship with a Grade of 5.3. Passed the Healthcare Assistant EFZ qualification procedure in 2024 with an overall grade of 5.3, while working 20 percent in the hospitality industry during the first 9 months.
Medication Process Without Deviation. Documented around 11'000 medication administrations for up to 24 residents over 18 months - without any deviation reported in the internal CIRS system.
Career Change Planned Without a Salary Drop. Financed the additional apprenticeship through an apprenticeship contract with an adult wage (CHF 2'400 per month plus allowances) and subsequently started as a Healthcare Assistant EFZ with an annual salary of CHF 68'000.
Experience
Healthcare Assistant EFZ — Alterszentrum Seematt AG, Zug, 08/2024 - present
Long-term care with 72 residents across 3 living units, skill-grade mix with 4 registered nurses HF per shift.
- Primary care for 9 residents, including 9 new BESA assessments and care plans per year
- Manages medication administration for 24 residents during early shifts and covers 4 night duties per month
- Trained 11 employees in Kinaesthetics transfers; reports of back complaints in the team decreased by 3 out of 11 cases
- Optimised dietary coordination with the kitchen for 14 malnourished residents, achieving weight stabilisation in 11 of 14 within 6 months
Apprentice, Additional Apprenticeship as Healthcare Assistant EFZ — Pflegezentrum Rosenhalde GmbH, Winterthur, 08/2022 - 07/2024
Shortened basic training (2 years) in the dementia ward and acute geriatrics, apprenticeship contract approved by the cantonal Office for Vocational Education and Training.
- Completed 6 inter-company courses and 3 work and learning situations (ALS) with an average of 5.4, IPA grade 5.5
- Independently took over basic care for 6 residents per shift from the 2nd semester onward
- Carried out 320 documented vital sign checks and 140 blood glucose measurements, recorded electronically in the care documentation system
- Developed a 4-page factsheet on fluid balance monitoring, which was incorporated into the induction folder in 2 departments
Chef de partie — Restaurant Alte Sagi, Baar, 09/2018 - 07/2022
Seasonal kitchen with 120 covers per service, kitchen team of 6, 2 apprentices.
- Responsible for the entremétier station, serving around 45'000 covers per year
- Reduced food cost ratio from 32 to 28 percent through standardised recipes and mise-en-place control
- Mentored 2 Cook EFZ apprentices, both of whom passed the qualification procedure on their first attempt
- Introduced HACCP self-monitoring: 2 food inspections passed without any complaints
Education
Federal VET Diploma (Additional Apprenticeship, shortened), Healthcare Assistant EFZ — Berufsfachschule Gesundheit und Soziales, Winterthur · 2024
Federal VET Diploma, Cook EFZ — Gewerbliche Berufsschule Zug · 2018
Lower Secondary School, Level A, Compulsory Education — Schule Baar · 2015
BLS-AED-SRC Complete, Refresher 2025 · Kinaesthetics Basic Course (Level 1), 2023 · Vocational Trainer Course, 40 hours, cantonally recognised, 2021 · Basic Dementia Course, 2 days, 2024