Investigate materials. Discover what they’re made of.

As a physics laboratory technician apprentice at CMSA, you study the metallurgy of metals used in watchmaking, MedTech, and industrial applications. You take ownership of the full workflow, from sample preparation to standardized tests, using high-precision equipment. This apprenticeship helps you build strong expertise in materials characterization. It is ideal if you are curious, methodical, and passionate about materials science.

What you’ll learn

1st year

Production control

  • Prepare samples for testing
  • Perform hardness and structural analysis
  • Analyze metals from ongoing production
  • Non-destructive testing: dye penetrant testing to detect cracks
2nd year

Mechanical characterization

  • Learn mechanical characterization methods
  • Perform tensile and bending tests
  • Produce parts using conventional machining
  • Calibrate equipment according to protocols, and support maintenance of lab equipment
3rd year

Nanotechnology

  • Carry out full analyses, from preparation to the expert report
  • Surface analysis using scanning electron microscopy (SEM)
  • Non-destructive testing: ultrasonic analysis to detect internal defects
  • Internship in an external laboratory
4th year

Final apprenticeship project

  • Development-oriented analyses
  • Complete your diploma project
  • Customer-oriented analyses, based on real requests

You work closely with production and R&D teams, and learn to use lab results to drive concrete quality improvements for our watchmaking and medical products.

Your education

Duration:

4 years

Baccalaureate:

Optional Federal Vocational Baccalaureate (Berufsmaturität)

Vocational school:

German speakers: Technische Berufsschule Zürich (TBZ)

French speakers: École professionnelle EPSIC, Lausanne

What we’re looking for

You are:

  • Passionate about science (physics, chemistry, math)
  • Detail-oriented and precise
  • Comfortable with manual work
  • Curious about how materials behave
  • Reliable and collaborative

Education required: Solid Realschule-level certificate with strong science grades.

Your vocational trainer

“If you’re passionate about science and love Sherlock Holmes-style investigations, our lab uses many methods to analyze metal components for the watchmaking and medical industries.”

Image of trainer: Sylvain Venetz

Sylvain Venetz

Physics lab technicians

Take the next step

This position is currently open. If you’re motivated and ready to get started: