3.5 Traineeships and apprenticeships
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Official guidelines on traineeships and apprenticeships
Apprenticeships and traineeships are primarily organised within the Danish education system in the framework of upper secondary education programmes and higher education programmes. Traineeships are also used in the Danish employment system as an active labour market measure.
At the national level, the Danish education system is regulated by the Ministry of Children and Education and the Ministry of Higher Education and Science and implemented at the local level by municipalities and self-governing education institutions.
At the national level, the Ministry of Employment is responsible for the traineeships in the employment system. At the local level, municipal job centres and municipal youth measures (kommunal ungeindsats) are responsible for the coordination of agreements between enterprises and unemployed persons.
Apprenticeships
In order to start the apprenticeship, the student must have an apprenticeship agreement with one or more companies. The legal regulations include salary and employment conditions: the student is covered by the general regulations of the labour market and the student’s work should have a purely educational purpose.
During an apprenticeship, the student is employed by the company and receives a salary in accordance with the minimum apprentice wage set by collective agreements. To host an apprentice, a company must be officially recognized as an apprenticeship provider by the trade committee of the relevant education program. The first three months serve as a trial period, during which both the student and the company have the option to terminate the education agreement if necessary.
Internships as part of the education for students in preparatory basic education (FGU)
For students enrolled in the Basic vocational education (egu) as part of FGU, the education consists of one third schooling and to thirds internship. The student is employed by the company and receives a salary according to collective agreements. The municipality is responsible for internship placements.
The track is regulated through the act on preparatory basic education (Lov om Forberedende grunduddannelse, LBK nr. 606 af 24(05/2019).
Apprenticeships for students in Danish VET programmes
Apprenticeship is mandatory and a requirement in most vocational education and training (VET) education programmes.
Practical training takes place during the main course of the IVET programmes. It may take the form of either an apprenticeship at one or more companies (oplæring) or a school-based practical training (skoleoplæring).
An apprenticeship at a company is the preferred form of practical training in VET programmes, but for quite a few years, finding enough companies to meet the demand for apprenticeship agreements has been a problem. In the tripartite agreement II of 2016, a quota agreement was settled. In order to be enrolled in certain vocational education programmes, students are now required to have an apprenticeship agreement with a company in order to begin the main course in the programme. For some programmes offering school-based practical training, quotas on the number of students in school-based education have been established.
The VET programmes are regulated through the act on VET programmes (Lov om erhvervsuddannelser, LBK nr 961 af 16/08/2024) LBK 40 af 11/01/2024) and Ministerial order on VET (Bekendtgørelse om erhvervsuddannelser, BEK nr 2499 af 13/12/2021) BEK nr 953 af 22/06/2023).
Each VET programme has its own vocational committee composed of local social partners. The term social partners generally refer to trade unions and employer organisations The vocational committee establishes the overall education programme/curriculum, the learning objectives, and the structure of the programme. The vocational committee also approves companies as apprenticeship companies.
School-based practical training
In case the student is unable to find a company to enter into an education agreement with, the student may be entitled to school-based training. More than half of the VET programmes offer school-based training.
A student can enter into a company agreement for part of a main course. However, to be eligible for school-based practical training, they must be enrolled in a program that offers this option and meet the EMMA criteria. This means that the student must be qualified and demonstrate both geographical and vocational mobility—meaning they should be willing to accept an apprenticeship in another part of the country or consider an alternative education program if an apprenticeship opportunity arises. Additionally, the student must take a proactive approach in seeking out a company to establish an education agreement with.
Traineeships
Traineeships for students at Danish university colleges (professional bachelor programmes: Higher VET)
Traineeships are mandatory for all students in a professional bachelor programme. The minimum period is six months. Some education programmes have several periods of work practice as part of the programme.
The professional bachelor programmes are regulated through:
- The Act on Business Academies and University Colleges (Bekendtgørelse af lov om erhvervsakademiuddannelser og professionsbacheloruddannelser, LBK nr 396 af 12/04/2024)
- The Ministerial Order on Business Academies and University Colleges (Bekendtgørelse om erhvervsakademiuddannelser og professionsuddannelser, BEK nr 2672 af 28/12/2021) The traineeship is regulated by the curriculum and the traineeship contracts.
According to the act, the education institution must ensure a link between school-based education and practical learning during the traineeship, and the traineeship must contribute to the overall learning objectives of the education programme.
The curriculum establishes the learning objectives of the traineeship, the number of tests, the amount of ECTS points and regulation of the traineeship, including the obligations and expectations of the actors involved (the young person, education institution, and provider).
Traineeships in Higher Education
Traineeships are an integral part of many higher education programmes in Denmark, ensuring that students gain practical experience aligned with their field of study. The structure and requirements of traineeships vary across different institutions and study programmes.
At business academies (erhvervsakademier), traineeships follow the same regulations as professional bachelor programmes, with a mandatory internship period of three months. Similarly, maritime education institutions require traineeships as part of their study programmes, where students can enter agreements with one or multiple shipping companies, with either a trainee salary or a state educational grant.
In fine arts education, traineeships can be integrated into all study programmes, with a maximum of 30 ECTS credits allocated. Some programmes, such as design and architecture at the Royal Danish Academy, include mandatory internships.
At Danish universities, some study programmes require traineeships, such as journalism and medical studies. Other programmes offer optional project-based courses (projektorienterede forløb), allowing students to gain professional experience in Denmark or abroad. These traineeships are regulated under the Act on Universities and relevant ministerial orders.
Traineeships in the private sector outside the formal education system in Denmark
Private market traineeships are only used to a limited extent in Denmark. There is no regulatory framework relating specifically to private market traineeships, but the Danish Work Environment Act applies equally to people in trainee positions when working for a private employer.
Traineeships for the unemployed as an active labour market measure
Unemployed persons participate in different active labour market measures. One of these measures is a traineeship. A traineeship is, therefore, an opportunity to give the unemployed person experience and competences to include in their CV.
Traineeships in Basic Integration Education (IGU)
On 1 July 2016, the Basic Integration Education (IGU) programme was launched. The programme consists of a two-year traineeship in which a refugee or a reunited family member of a refugee is employed at a company and paid trainee wages while receiving other schooling (20 weeks in total) such as Danish lessons in parallel. The scheme is a supplement to internships, wage subsidy jobs and upskilling.
The scheme targets refugees or reunited family members of a refugee in the 18-40 age group who have resided legally in Denmark for less than five years.
The scheme is part of the tripartite agreement I on labour market integration between the government and social partners.
The scheme has subsequently been expanded several times and most recently with the Tripartite Agreement on the continuation and expansion of basic integration training (IGU) of September 2023, where the scheme has been extended until the end of 2027. In July 2019, the parliament passed the bill on IGU (Lov om ændring af lov om integrationsgrunduddannelse (IGU), Lov nr 562 af 07/05/2019).
Social security coverage during apprenticeships in Denmark
In Denmark, all people with legal residence are entitled to public health insurance. The public health insurance includes free treatments by a general practitioner, at hospitals, subsidies for dental work, medicine, psychological, and other types of treatments.
As a general rule, during traineeship and apprenticeship in Denmark, students are covered by the Act on Industrial Injury Insurance. The coverage is regulated by the ministerial order on industrial injury insurance for students. The workplace/company is responsible for the insurance during the apprenticeship.
In Denmark, students are entitled to receive either a state education grant (SU) or a trainee/ apprentice salary. All students in vocational education and training (VET) receive an apprentice salary. The trainee/apprentice salary is established by a collective agreement. Students are taxed on their income.
If a VET student is obliged to take up practical training at an enterprise in another part of the country, the student may be entitled to mobility funding from the Employers’ Reimbursement Fund (AUB).
Promoting traineeships and apprenticeships
The tripartite negotiations of 2016 established several measures to increase the number of apprenticeship opportunities. The main mechanism of the measures is to increase the incentives for companies to establish training contracts with students. (See more in section 3.6).
On lærepladsen.dk, apprenticeships for vocational education and training (VET) students are distributed among students and enterprises. The Ministry of Children and Education runs the website.
Recognition of learning outcomes
As most traineeships and apprenticeships take place within the formal education system, the recognition of outcomes is established in the curriculum of each education programmes. The outcome is established in learning objectives and measurable targets, which are assessed during some form of examination, either oral, practical, or in writing.
In Denmark, the examination of all education programs use a seven-step grading scale. Some vocational education programs use verbal scales in the apprenticeship test (svendeprøve).
Since 2001, the European credit transfer and accumulation system (ECTS) has been used in higher education.
Danish vocational education and training (VET) institutions may use the following qualification frameworks:
- The European Credit System for Vocational Education and Training (ECVET)
- The European Qualifications Framework (EQF)
- European Quality Assurance in Vocational Education and Training (EQAVET)
Europass
Since 2002, all Danish higher education institutions must issue a diploma supplement together with the degree certificate.
Recognition of non-formal learning such as traineeships outside the formal education system is described in detail in section 2.9.
Funding
Sector ministries publicly fund traineeships and apprenticeships within the Danish education system and the labour market measures.
Private traineeships are funded by private companies.
According to the tripartite agreement II of 2016, companies within the VET sector must contribute to the Employers’ Reimbursement Fund (AUB). The fund compensates companies that have apprentices, whereas companies with no apprentices must contribute a larger share.
Quality assurance
The quality assurance mechanisms vary depending on the specific education programme. As a general rule, a contract is signed by the trainee/apprentice and the provider. The contract establishes specific learning objectives.
Furthermore, providers of traineeships/apprenticeships must be approved.
In the vocational education and training (VET) programmes, the company is obliged to formulate an apprenticeship declaration after each period in the enterprise. The declaration contains information regarding the apprentice’s tasks and whether the apprentice has fulfilled the learning objectives established in the education agreement. Traineeship/apprenticeship in VET education programmes is completed with an apprenticeship test (svendeprøve).