As a German chemistry professor called Hans-Jürgen Quadbeck-Seeger once said: "Theory and practice are partners, but not always friends." With a view to bringing these two opposites closer together, the Rapperswil-Jona Vocational and Advanced Training Centre organises regular measurement technology seminars together with Brütsch/Rüegger Tools.

For over six years, students of technical professions have benefited from practical events where they can come face to face with the tools and measuring equipment presented. In addition to the basic "Measurement technology" seminar, various advanced seminars are offered at the end of the apprentices' second year, each focusing on a specific topic.

Marcel Tschan and Phillip Stengele, Technical Consultants at Brütsch/Rüegger Tools with extensive teaching experience, provide learners in the basic seminars with a fascinating overview, ranging from the origins of measurement technology and calibration systems, to the latest current technology. Their teaching approach leans heavily towards the practical, raising their students' awareness of the topics that will be relevant in their day-to-day work as apprentices. This includes learning how to use calipers, gauges and external micrometers.

Every day we come across measurements in metres. But how long is a metre? The original metre—defined in 1793—corresponds to one ten-millionth of the Earth's quadrant on the Paris meridian or in other words, the path from the North Pole to the equator via Paris. According to Marcel Tschan, "We start from the very beginning in the basic seminar and explain that measuring always involves comparing". The yard is the simplest example: in 1101 AD, King Henry I of England defined the yard as 91 centimetres, which was the length from the tip of his nose to his outstretched thumb.

The fact that (almost) everyone uses the same measure of length today is regarded as an achievement. There were over 800 official measures of length in the 18th century, for example. At the same time, however, the seminar also covers topical examples such as the error that occurred during construction of the Hochrhein Bridge, when the use of two different elevation references led architects astray. The International System of Units (Système international d'Unités, SI) and its seven basic physical units are also discussed, of course.