Regulation of the Mobility and Exchange Service

1 Within the Department of Education, Culture and Sport (hereinafter Department), the Mobility and Exchange Service is established.

2 Mobility and exchanges comprise

a) those of pupils and persons in training at secondary I and II levels, individual or class-based, with other linguistic regions of Switzerland;

b) those of minors and young people with other linguistic regions of Switzerland in the context of culture, sport, and leisure;

c) distance relationships between classes of Ticinese schools and classes from other linguistic regions of Switzerland or other countries;

d) those of teachers aimed at teaching experiences in other languages;

e) linguistic exchanges of pupils and persons in training with foreign countries within the framework of Swiss and international programs dedicated to this purpose;

f) internship and professional practice periods in another linguistic region of Switzerland or a foreign country during vocational training, tertiary education, or in the framework of the transition to the world of work;

g) educational and professional stays in Switzerland and abroad.

3 The service is subordinate to the Office of Continuing Education and Innovation (hereinafter UFCI) of the Division of Vocational Education and Training. The latter is the reference partner for the Division of Vocational Education and Training and for the School Division and is responsible for

a) organizing the mobility and exchanges referred to in paragraph 2;

b) participating in national and international calls for proposals offered in the context of financing mobility and exchanges;

c) maintaining lasting relationships with the homologous services of other cantons and facilitating the conclusion of intercantonal agreements between services or partnerships between schools;

d) maintaining lasting relationships with the Confederation and its structures that are responsible for granting funds for mobility and exchanges;

e) acting as the sole interlocutor with the Movetia Agency, ensuring at the cantonal level the information, promotion, and implementation of projects promoted by the agency itself towards schools, teachers, pupils, and families;

f) maintaining lasting relationships with other international public organizations active in exchanges and mobility;

g) submitting to the Department the conclusion of collaboration agreements in the field of mobility and exchanges that entail costs for the Canton;

h) concluding, under the responsibility of the UFCI, collaboration agreements in the field of mobility and exchanges that do not entail costs for the Canton;

i) maintaining relationships with organizations in the world of work in Ticino and at the national level that can support cantonal initiatives related to mobility and exchanges;

j) organizing awareness-raising, information, and counseling sessions on mobility and exchanges;

k) assisting teaching staff councils of post-compulsory education institutions in developing their own programs on pupil multilingualism;

l) assisting participants in mobility projects managed by the service before, during, and after their stay;

m) monitoring mobility and exchanges involving Ticino;

n) managing federal and European funding obtained through participation in calls for proposals;

o) studying and proposing adjustments in relation to the relevant legal framework concerning mobility and exchanges.

1 The service is comprised of the following operational sectors

a) the exchange sector, which deals with the provisions set out in Art. 1 para. 2 lit. a) - d);

b) the traineeship and practical training sector, which deals with the provisions set out in Art. 1 para. 2 lit. e) - g) during vocational and tertiary education;

c) the language and mobility sector, which deals with the provisions set out in Art. 1 para. 2 lit. f) - g) within the framework of the transition to the world of work.

2 The head of the service

a) directs and coordinates its activities, ensuring the improvement of service quality and participant support, and guaranteeing the proper management of funding;

b) ensures its relations with educational institutions and the various departmental units;

c) represents it in dealings with the different educational sectors and with all interested stakeholders;

d) manages its relations with similar services in other cantons, with the Movetia Agency, and with the cantonal, national, and international organizations and partners with whom it collaborates.

The service's location is defined by the Department.

1 The service collaborates notably with the cantonal school institutions, with the Division of Vocational Education and Training, the Division of Schools, with the Division of Culture and University Studies, with the Department of Education and Learning of the University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland, with the Federal University for Vocational Education and Training, with the Centre for Didactic and Digital Resources, and with the Office of Study Grants.

2 The service may collaborate with other entities for the organization of specific events such as conferences or seminars.

The decision-making powers regarding current expenditure are allocated as follows

a) to the service manager for amounts up to 2,000 francs;

b) to the head of the UFCI office for amounts exceeding 2,000 francs and up to 10,000 francs;

c) to the head of division for amounts exceeding 10,000 francs and up to 30,000 francs;

d) to the director of the Department for amounts exceeding 30,000 francs and up to 100,000 francs;

e) to the State Council for amounts exceeding 100,000 francs.

This regulation comes into force immediately. [1]

Published in BU 2022, 185.

[1] Entry into force: 8 July 2022 - BU 2022, 185.