Refugees in Swiss canton train as care assistants

In the refugee training centre in Ringgenberg in western Switzerland, 32 people with asylum or refugee status are currently training to work in nursing care. + Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox The centre has been operated by the Bernese Oberland Asylum Association on behalf of canton Bern since August 2025. Over roughly 20 months, refugees receive language tuition and vocational training to help them move into jobs in the care sector. Ringgenberg is the canton’s second training centre of this kind, after the one in Bellelay. “This shows that early integration is the right approach to give refugees real prospects and help them settle into society from the start,” said Pierre‑Alain Schnegg (Swiss People’s Party), the canton’s director of health, social affairs and integration, during a visit to the centre. The canton said the initiator of these training programmes – which are unique in Switzerland – also thanked the municipality of Ringgenberg. The local ...