Profolio: Shaping Career Choice Digitally
“We thank the Ahead team for their practical and connected support and highly recommend the program to all SMEs wishing to drive their projects forward—regardless of industry or company size.”
Simon and Tanja Schmid, Co-owners
S&B Institute for Career and Life Design AG
Innovative Career Guidance with a Long Tradition in the Zurich Unterland
The S&B Institute is a well-established family business based in the Zurich Unterland region that has been supporting people in their personal development for over 40 years. As one of the pioneers of holistic career, study, and life coaching in Switzerland, it offers not only individual guidance but also learning materials for schools and coaching sessions. Ahead (formerly KMU and Innovation) supported the SME on its path toward digitalizing its services.
Focus on Development and Innovation
In 1979, the S&B Institute developed the “Wegweiser zur Berufswahl” (Career Choice Guide), followed in 1996 by the first trilingual career information CD-ROM “Berufswahlschau,” and later career portfolios supporting individuals from initial career choice through to mid-life career changes at 50+. In early 2020, the company faced the challenge of modernizing its educational resources and advisory processes. However, it lacked the expertise, resources, and key partnerships in the education sector to carry out this transformation.
New Impulses for Switzerland’s First Digital Career Choice Tool
Contact with Ahead brought crucial momentum: it enabled the development of an Innosuisse project and facilitated participation in the Informatiktage (IT Days), where the S&B Institute presented its digital career guidance tool “Profolio” to a wide audience from Switzerland and Liechtenstein. Feedback received boosted visibility and provided valuable input for further development.
“Our presence at the Informatiktage, arranged by Ahead, significantly increased our visibility and provided important impulses for the continued development of Profolio.”
Expanding Services and Network
Building on this experience, the Institute developed courses on using artificial intelligence in the application process and creating professional CVs on iPads. These new offerings strengthen the career guidance community and enable the organization of “Profolio Impulstagen” (Profolio Inspiration Days) with career coaches from all over Switzerland. The S&B Institute is also actively involved in the Future Lab Zurich Community, contributing its expertise in early-stage career guidance.
Future-Oriented Projects to Promote Equal Opportunities
Another Innosuisse project is in the pipeline, aiming to improve equal opportunities in the career choice process with the help of artificial intelligence. Profolio supports young people and their parents in taking their first step into a self-determined professional future with confidence and joy. A version tailored for working professionals is scheduled for release in summer 2025.
“With Profolio, we are committed every day to supporting young people in Switzerland on their path to a self-determined professional future.”
“We thank the Ahead team for their practical and connected support and highly recommend the program to all SMEs wishing to drive their projects forward—regardless of industry or company size.”
Simon and Tanja Schmid,
Co-owners and second-generation management
S&B Institute for Career and Life Design AG, Bülach
www.profolio.ch | www.sbinstitut.ch
Simon Schmid – Innovator in Career and Life Coaching
Simon Schmid is owner and member of the management team at the S&B Institute for Career and Life Design AG in Bülach. With a diverse professional background—from training as an AV electronics technician and studying design at Zurich University of the Arts to completing a MAS in career, study, and life coaching—he brings a wide range of perspectives to his work.
Tanja Schmid – Leadership with a Focus on Finance, HR, and Mindfulness
Tanja Schmid is a member of the management team at the S&B Institute, responsible for finance and human resources. She holds a degree in business informatics with a specialization in IT from the University of Zurich and a commercial diploma. Additionally, she is a certified yoga teacher (YS/EYU) and qualified Shinrin-Yoku health trainer.
www.profolio.ch | www.sbinstitut.ch