The tertiary education sector in Switzerland has been experiencing an increasing competition over the past ten years as a result of the expansion of further education courses and the changing conditions that affect the balance of power among providers. In light of this enhanced competition, the FHNW School of Business would like to gain insights into the factors that influence the decision-making process undertaken by employers when determining whether to send their employees to further education programmes.

This thesis identifies the criteria employers seek in further education programs and providers when selecting courses for employee development. It also explores the conditions that influence whether employers cover the participation in further education courses. Based on a review of the literature, questions were formulated and 10 qualitative interviews with HR experts and other decision-maker of companies and the public administration were conducted.

The interviewed organizations have requirements mainly for internal training and less for external offers. Employees themselves decide about course participation. Most of the interviewed companies placed high value on the connection between the content of the continuing education program and the current or future position of the employee in the company. Specific needs within the company matter as well. Therefore, it can be assumed that the course content as described in the course description is evaluated in the decision-making. Based on this assumption, we recommend to publish clear course descriptions that include the key competencies taught in the course. In the interviews, the participants stated that the process usually starts with the employees who request the further education. They also propose or decide which provider and course they would like to attend. Therefore, we recommend to focus advertisement on the employees and not the employers.