I know similar topics has been discussed in a number of other forums but I have a more specific question which I couldn't find much information about in other places...

Our son is finishing Sekundarschule this year and will be moving on to an apprenticeship in IT (Systemtechniker). He's struggling with the idea of whether to do BMS (Berufsmaturitätschule) versus just the normal TBZ (Technische Berufsschule Zurich).

On the one hand he likes the TBZ, is fairly sure about what sort of work he wants to do longer-term, and would prefer the more technically-oriented training he would get there. But on the other hand, he hopes to attend a university / technical institute in the US after his apprenticeship. To attend a US university he probably needs more general education than the TBZ would offer (and he would need to pass / do well on the Graduate Equivalent Diploma exams). For that, the BMS would probably be a better choice.

Does anyone here have kids who've done the combination of BMS + Lehrstelle? If so, do you have any insight into how difficult it was in terms of the work load? And do you think it offers a "good comprimise" between general education and vocational training, or do you feel it was too little of each?