Swiss Post is officially opening four new trainee-run post offices this summer.  In Biel Mett, Luzern Hirschengraben, Lugano Cassarate and Chêne-Bourg (GE), the customers will be looked after exclusively by trainees. Biel Mett is the first bilingual trainee-run post office in Switzerland, and Lugano Cassarate is the first in Ticino. After a month-long induction period, the trainees will take over responsibility for their post office.

Swiss Post has been operating trainee-run post offices since 2008. Zurich Wollishofen and Prilly were followed in 2009 by Basel Spalen and St. Gallen St. Fiden. Trainees are responsible for the entire day-to-day business of these post offices: from customer service, through the sale of brand-name items, to managing the post office. The idea proved successful from the start and Swiss Post decided to set up a further four similar post offices. Since the beginning of August, the post offices at Luzern Hirschengraben, Lugano Cassarate, Chêne-Bourg and Biel Mett have been run by trainees. Biel Mett is the first bilingual trainee-run post office and was officially opened today.

Great responsibility

In the trainee-run post offices, eight to twelve retail trainees share all the tasks involved in running a post office. They independently serve customers at the counters, process postal transactions and handle the administration of the post office. Two to three experienced advisors are on hand to support the trainees. These trainee-run post offices enable young people to assume responsibility – even managerial responsibility – at a very early stage, so that they gain as much practical experience as possible in their specialist area.

Good experience

Previous experience with trainee-run post offices has been entirely positive – for both trainees and customers. The trainees have regularly completed their apprenticeships with top marks. This is also reflected in the sales results at the counter, which have consistently increased. The trainees have also received positive feedback time and again from customers. This has inspired many of the trainees. The scheme has enabled some of them to handle responsible jobs in post offices immediately after they have finished their apprenticeships, for example managing the main cash desk or deputizing for the post office manager.

Represented throughout the country

Now that there is a trainee-run post office in Lugano Cassarate, Swiss Post has post offices of this type in three language regions. The bilingual trainee-run post office in Biel Mett is interesting from several angles. The young people there not only gain experience in all aspects of post office work, but they also serve customers in French and German on a daily basis and therefore develop their language skills. The official openings of the three further trainee-run post offices will take place on 2 September in Lucerne (Luzern Hirschengraben), on 10 September in Lugano Cassarate, and on 24 September in Chêne-Bourg.