This thesis sets out to describe and discuss, to analyse and criticise post-compulsory education in the francophone part of Switzerland, or Suisse romande. A further object is to see whether this part of the oldest confederation in the world might have lessons on the educational front to offer the European Community or indeed whether there might be practices in the EC whose adaptation to Suisse romande's situation and circumstances might be beneficial. The remaining object is to propose a series of models for educational structures - autonomous, synthetic and pluralist - and to determine which model fits which part of Suisse romande's post-compulsory education. After describing the rationale behind the work, the thesis moves on to set out the historical, geographical, economic and cultural background to the area in question in order to provide a context for the main body of the discussion. This reduces the need for tangential digressions to explain particular aspects of education in Suisse romande. The main text covers post-compulsory school (with a description of the end of compulsory school), vocational training, adult education and higher education with a concluding chapter devoted to drawing together some of the threads spun in the course of the thesis. The writer found that Suisse romande in particular and Switzerland in general have much experience which the EC might do well to examine. There is, for example, the creation of national certificates in vocational training which, although of equal value throughout the country, bear the clear stamp of their Canton of origin. Autonomous structures have been brought together, in the case of schools, by negotiation between Cantonal authorities (with the encouragement of Federal government)
