What does the day-to-day work of Digital Collaboration Specialists with a federal certificate look like?

As "pioneers of a digital economy", Digital Collaboration Specialists work in companies in all sectors and take on a wide range of digitalization tasks and responsibilities in the areas of communication, personnel development and technology: from all-rounders, digital officers, transformation coaches, back-office managers or management support managers in SMEs to specialists for the implementation of digital strategies in large companies.

One of the core tasks of Digital Collaboration Specialists is to support operational change processes by analyzing the needs of stakeholders and deriving suggestions for suitable digital solutions. For example, when it comes to digital collaboration in the office, administration and management, they select a suitable online platform or service software such as Microsoft Teams, Jira from Atlassian or Google Drive. They are then responsible for their introduction, employee training, management, analysis and optimization measures. They also draw up data protection guidelines for the correct use of digital tools and monitor compliance with them.

Digitalization specialists operate a broad network of relevant stakeholders. They act as innovative visionaries and motivators and are in close contact with management, internal superiors, teams, employees, product and project managers, external customers and suppliers as well as providers of digital solutions.

The most important activities of Digital Collaboration Specialists at a glance:

• Needs analysis and identification of suitable digital tools and strategies
• Planning and implementation of ICT solutions
• Support for digital operational change processes
• Analysis and optimization of digital solutions
• Coaching of employees and customers
• Data and information analysis, processing and presentation

Target group and skills: Who is the professional examination for Digital Collaboration Specialist with a federal certificate suitable for? What qualities and skills are required?

The "Digital Collaboration Specialist" course and professional examination are suitable for

• for professionals with ICT work experience who are interested in digital change processes and would like to specialize
• for digital-savvy professionals with ICT work experience who want to expand their digital skills
• Determined practitioners with experience in the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) who want to play a key role in shaping, implementing and driving forward the digital transformation in companies
• innovative project managers and project staff with professional ICT experience who would like to learn about the possibilities of digital applications for project work

Digital Collaboration Specialists should have the following personal qualities and skills:

• Technical understanding and digital affinity
• Innovative ability and creativity
• analytical and networked thinking
• Flexibility and resilience
• Independent working style and sense of responsibility
• Organizational talent
• Communication and negotiation skills
• Ability to work in a team and deal with conflicts

Requirements for admission to the federal professional examination Digital Collaboration Specialist (digitization specialist):

To be able to take the federal professional examination for Digital Collaboration Specialist, you must, in accordance with the examination regulations:

• have a federal certificate of proficiency (commercial clerk EFZ, mediamatician EFZ, computer scientist EFZ, ICT specialist or equivalent qualification) and at least two years of professional experience in the use of information and communication technologies (ICT)

Or

• have completed (other) basic vocational training (EFZ) or an equivalent qualification and have at least four years of professional experience in the use of information and communication technologies (ICT)

Or

• have a vocational baccalaureate (BMS), specialized baccalaureate, high school baccalaureate or equivalent qualification and at least three years of professional experience in the use of information and communication technologies (ICT)

You will find out whether you have been admitted to the professional examination at least three months before the start of the examination with a written notification including reasons and information on legal remedies in the event of rejection.

Note: Some schools may be prepared to admit you to a preparatory course for the professional examination for Digital Collaboration Specialist if you do not (yet) meet the criteria for admission to the federal examination. It is then your responsibility to ensure that you meet the necessary requirements at the time of the examination/examination registration.

Subject matter and content of the training

The subject matter and content of the preparatory courses for the federal vocational examination for Digital Collaboration Specialist are based on the specifications of the sponsor of the vocational examination, the Swiss Association for ICT Vocational Education and Training.

According to the examination regulations, the learning material is spread over a total of 12 modules in six subject areas, in which the various areas of competence that are fundamental to the professional examination are covered:

Business Engineering

• Verify and evaluate digital collaboration tools (625)
• Selecting digital channels and tools according to the situation (626)
• Designing interactions in a user-centered way (631)

Business Management

• Manage and optimize digital channels (628)
• Planning and conducting interactive meetings (630)
• Initiating change processes (633)
• Observe and evaluate innovations and trends (646)

Data Management

• Analyzing and evaluating data (632)

Multimedia

• Producing content for digital media (627)

Project Management

• Planning, managing and monitoring projects (690)

Service Management

• Developing learning sequences (629)
• Maintaining the service landscape for digital collaboration (634)

Costs and financing of further training

The costs vary depending on the provider. In general, the following costs must be expected for the 3-semester in-service training course to become a Digital Collaboration Specialist:

• Course fees: between CHF 13,610 and CHF 14,550. You will receive around 50% of this back from the federal government after the examination (regardless of the result).* If you are a member of the Kaufmännischer Verband and complete the training at a school listed by the Kaufmännischer Verband, you can benefit from a 5% discount on the course costs.
• Examination fee: Candidates pay the examination fee once admission has been confirmed. This is determined by the examination regulations body. It has not yet been determined (as of February 2022).
• Some providers charge extra for teaching materials, training documents and simulation tests. Please contact the provider of your choice directly to find out what additional costs you can expect.

*Since 1.1.2018, preparatory courses for federal professional examinations (BP) and higher professional examinations (HFP) have been financially supported by the federal government. Graduates of these courses can therefore be reimbursed up to 50% (max. CHF 9,500 for BP, max. CHF 10,500 for HFP) of the course costs paid after taking the federal examination. In exceptional cases of hardship, the federal contributions are also paid out in advance.

Duration of study, number of lessons and learning effort

• The modular training course to become a Digital Collaboration Specialist lasts 3 semesters.
• The course comprises between 400 and 432 lessons, which take place on two half-days per week (usually one evening per week and Saturday morning)
• Many schools now offer a mix of face-to-face and online courses (online, hybrid teaching, blended learning) as well as self-study.
• Thanks to the in-service training concept, you can apply and deepen the learning material in practice straight away. Nevertheless, you should allow sufficient time for preparation and follow-up of the lessons and for self-study - how much depends on your prior knowledge, working style and learning speed. We recommend that you allow at least 4-6 hours per week as a precaution.

Degree, diploma and title

The professional examination to become a Digital Collaboration Specialist takes place annually if at least 25 candidates meet the admission requirements, otherwise every two years. It can be taken in German, French or Italian.

The examination regulations provide for four parts for the federal examination, which proceed as follows:

1. Writing a project paper: prepared in advance, in writing (weighting 25%):Candidates write a project paper by the specified deadline. In it, they deal in depth with change processes in connection with digital transformation and explain a (sub)project that they are currently working on professionally. The project work must meet the formal requirements regarding scope, structure and content. This also includes a reflection in which the candidates critically reflect on and assess their work.
2. Presentation and expert discussion on the practical report: 45 minutes, oral (weighting 25%):Candidates present their project work orally to an audience of experts consisting of at least two people. They present the measures and decisions taken in their work in a convincing manner. In the subsequent technical discussion, they answer the experts' in-depth questions on topics from the project work.
3. Case study and mini-cases: 240 minutes, written (weighting 25%):In this part of the exam, candidates work on various industry-specific case studies: they analyze, assess and solve mini-cases, i.e. everyday situations relating to the management of digital collaboration in companies.
4. Critical Incidents: 60 minutes, oral (weighting 25%):In this part of the examination, candidates work through critical work situations and verbally demonstrate possible courses of action for advising and training employees and teams in the use of digital collaboration tools in a needs-oriented and target group-oriented manner.

Diploma and title

Graduates of the professional examination receive a federal certificate and are entitled to use the federally recognized and protected title "Digital Collaboration Specialist with federal certificate".

In French: "Digital Collaboration Specialist avec brevet fédéral"

In Italian: "Digital Collaboration Specialist con attestato professionale federale"

In English: "Digital Collaboration Specialist, Federal Diploma of Higher Education"