Career and skills assessment in Lausanne, Geneva and French-speaking Switzerland: where to go
In Lausanne and the canton of Vaud, go to the OCOSP; in Geneva, to the Cité des métiers du Grand Genève (OFPC). Elsewhere in French-speaking Switzerland: SOPFA in Fribourg, the Centre d’orientation et de carrière in Neuchâtel, the CIO centres in Valais, COSP in the Jura. From age 40, the viamia assessment is free there under conditions. As a complement, the Ryze Shift assessment is done online, free of charge, wherever you live.
Skills assessment in French-speaking Switzerland: the public offices by canton
The information below comes from the official pages of each canton, consulted on 6 October 2026. Opening hours and conditions change: check the office’s website before you travel. We have not checked which offices offer interviews in English: ask when you make the appointment.
| Canton | Public office | Where and how |
|---|---|---|
| Vaud (Lausanne) | Cantonal office for educational and career guidance (OCOSP) | Appointments by telephone with the guidance centre of your region. viamia free from age 40 for residents of the canton. |
| Geneva | Cité des métiers du Grand Genève (OFPC) | Rue Prévost-Martin 6, 1205 Geneva. A short guidance interview, then registration for viamia if you meet the conditions. |
| Fribourg | Service for career guidance and adult education (SOPFA) | Career centres in Fribourg (route des Arsenaux 41) and in Bulle (rue de la Léchère 40). Telephone advice for adults, viamia from age 40. |
| Neuchâtel | Guidance and career centre (OCOSP) | Neuchâtel (rue de Tivoli 28) and La Chaux-de-Fonds (rue du Cygne 8). Free advice for anyone living in the canton; the skills assessment there is a paid service. |
| Valais | Office for educational, vocational and career guidance (OSP) | Information and guidance centres (CIO) in Sierre, Sion, Martigny and Monthey. Free and confidential services, walk-in reception and consultations by appointment. |
| Jura | Centre for educational and career guidance and school psychology (COSP) | Porrentruy (rue du Banné 23), Delémont (route de Bâle 26) and Saignelégier (rue Bel-Air 5). Service called “career management and guidance for adults”. |
For the Bernese Jura and the other cantons, the full list of offices is on orientation.ch, and the viamia contact points are on viamia.ch.
Skills assessment in Lausanne and the canton of Vaud
The Vaud OCOSP sees adults for an appointment with a career counsellor and runs the portal for adult vocational qualifications (Federal VET Diploma and Certificate). For viamia, the Vaud conditions are: be over 40 or turn 40 in the current year, live in the canton, and not receive benefits from unemployment insurance, disability insurance or the cantonal social assistance scheme. The process starts with a questionnaire and sending an up-to-date CV.
Skills assessment in Geneva
In Geneva, everything goes through the Cité des métiers du Grand Genève, which reports to the OFPC. For viamia, you must be 40 or over and live in the canton or pay tax there. After a first interview, you fill in an online questionnaire, send your CV, then meet a psychologist and career counsellor.
And if you are unemployed?
Your first contact is the regional employment centre (ORP in French, RAV in German). Swiss unemployment insurance can fund labour market measures, such as further training and retraining courses, and it is the employment centre that decides whether a measure suits your situation. viamia is in principle not open to people who are entitled to a similar offer through unemployment insurance. The detail of the funding is on our page cost and funding.
Where does Ryze Shift fit in?
Ryze Shift is not a public office and does not replace one. It is a private assessment offered by Ryze Systems (published by Patrya Gestion Sàrl, 1007 Lausanne), which answers one precise question: what does AI change in my job, and what should I do in the next 30 days?
- It is done online. On your phone, with no account, at your own pace. Your canton does not matter.
- It starts from your real week. Your tasks, the time spent, your professional and human skills, and your command of AI tested in 8 scenarios.
- It is free. The report with numbers, the debrief by a Shift advisor and the 30-day plan cost nothing. The optional 14-day sprint costs CHF 390.
- It combines with the public service. You can bring your report to your career counsellor.
To choose between the two approaches, read viamia or Ryze Shift. If your project is a change of occupation, see also career change at 40 and 50.
Three tips before making an appointment
- Prepare an up-to-date CV. Several cantons ask for it before the first viamia interview.
- Note your tasks for the week. Ten lines are enough. An assessment moves faster when you talk about concrete tasks than about a job title.
- Ask for the price. Information interviews are often free, but some long programmes are paid for, depending on the canton.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I get a skills assessment in Lausanne?
In the canton of Vaud, the public contact is the cantonal office for educational and career guidance (OCOSP) and its regional centres. From age 40, it offers the free viamia assessment to people who live in the canton and meet the conditions. The Ryze Shift assessment, for its part, is done online from anywhere.
Where can I get a skills assessment in Geneva?
In Geneva, the entry point is the Cité des métiers du Grand Genève, rue Prévost-Martin 6, attached to the cantonal office for guidance, vocational and continuing education (OFPC). Registration for viamia there goes through a short guidance interview.
How much does a skills assessment cost in French-speaking Switzerland?
It depends on the office and on your age. From 40, viamia is free if you meet the conditions of your canton. In Valais, the services of the CIO centres are free. In Neuchâtel, advice is free for people living in the canton, but the skills assessment itself is a paid service. The Ryze Shift assessment is free; only the optional 14-day sprint costs CHF 390.
Do the career guidance offices see adults?
Yes. According to orientation.ch, the services of the cantonal guidance offices are for young people and adults, and everything concerning your personal situation is treated confidentially.
Do you have to live in the canton to be seen?
Generally yes. Vaud requires you to live in the canton for viamia, Geneva to live there or pay tax there, and in Valais each centre sees adults living in its region. Neuchâtel offers free advice to anyone living in the canton.
Can you do a skills assessment entirely online?
Yes. The public portal carriere.orientation.ch offers self-assessment questionnaires (in French). The Ryze Shift assessment is done on your phone, with no account, and ends with a report with numbers; a Shift advisor can then call you back.
Take stock of your role, for free
The Ryze Shift assessment runs on your phone, with no account. You receive a report with numbers and a 30-day plan.
Get my report and my 30-day planSources
- orientation.ch: educational, university and career guidance in Switzerland, offices by canton (in French)
- orientation.ch: cantonal entry portals for adult vocational qualifications (in French)
- viamia.ch: contact points by canton (in French)
- Canton of Vaud: guidance for adults, OCOSP (in French)
- Canton of Vaud: viamia (in French)
- Cité des métiers du Grand Genève: viamia (in French)
- Republic and Canton of Geneva: office for guidance, vocational and continuing education, OFPC (in French)
- State of Fribourg: career advice, SOPFA (in French)
- Canton of Neuchâtel: guidance and career centre (in French)
- Canton of Valais: information and guidance centres, CIO (in French)
- Republic and Canton of Jura: centre for educational and career guidance and school psychology, COSP (in French)
- work.swiss (SECO): list of labour market measures
Last updated: 19 October 2026. Official sources consulted on 6 October 2026. Some official Swiss sources are only available in French.