Until then, Valaisans had to train outside the canton, notably at Essil in Lausanne, at ARPIH in Yverdon-les-Bains (VD) and at Agogis in Zurich. Some 100 people are affected.
“The desire is to train, in Valais, professionals in areas where the needs are obvious, noted Valais State Councilor Christophe Darbellay on Wednesday at a press conference in Sierre (VS). When you train outside the canton, the chances of staying elsewhere are high, he continued. Objective, therefore: 75 students by 2030.
The new sector aims to be “the last piece of the puzzle”, since it is offered in “perfect complementarity” to all the sectors of Hautes Écoles and Higher Schools active in the fields of social education. It completes the table of ES pathways currently available, namely: Childhood Education and Socio-professional Masters.
Three years of training
The course is a more specialized “alternative to the Bachelor in Social Education”, summarizes Nicole Langenegger Roux, director of HESTS. The sector is accessible directly with a CFC.
More concretely, the training is intended to be dual and combines teaching at school and practical training in the field, in direct contact with the people being supported. It will be provided only in French on the Pôle santé campus in the Valais capital.
The duration of a “classic” course is three years, or two if the candidate has a CFC in socio-educational assistant (ASE). The first batches of graduates will therefore emerge from the Pôle Santé in Sion in 2029.
Meet the needs of the field
Placed under the responsibility of the HES-SO, the training was developed with partners in the field, including AVIP, the Valais Association of Institutions for People in Difficulty. “The shortage of qualified personnel is a reality,” attests John Roux, its general secretary.
“The best solution is to be able to hire trained people with good skills to guarantee support for vulnerable people in our societies”, such as those with disabilities, who live in precariousness or deal with addictions. “Educational work has evolved a lot in recent years, the situations encountered are increasingly complex.”
The profession thus requires “real expertise and strong professionalization. This is why institutions are delighted to see professionals being trained”, continued John Roux.
