Introduction to the Danish VET system

The Danish VET system is part of the overall youth education system and aims at developing the general, personal and vocational skills of young people. The overall objectives of VET are laid down in the Act on Vocational Education and Training³. According to this, the aim of the programmes is not only to provide the trainees with vocational qualifications, which are formally recognised and in demand by the labour market, but also to provide them with general and personal qualifications that open up the trainees’ possibilities for lifelong learning and for active citizenship.

The system is based on three main principles:

the dual training principle, i.e. periods in school alternating with periods of training in an enterprise. This principle ensures that the trainees acquire theoretical, practical, general and personal skills which are in demand by the labour market;
the principle of social partner involvement, whereby the social partners take part directly in the overall decisionmaking and daily running of the VET system;
the principle of lifelong learning, i.e. the system is highly flexible, offering learners the possibility of taking part of a qualification now and returning to the VET system at a later point in time to add to their VET qualifications in order to access further and higher education. Furthermore, VET and continuing VET (CVET) are integrated in order to ensure coherence between different qualifications and competence levels.

A definition:
The terms VET, initial VET (IVET), and continuing VET (CVET) are often used in different ways in different EU Member States. In this publication, the term VET is used about the system and the programmes providing recognised vocational qualifications for practice within a certain trade or profession. The VET system includes four types of programmes: agricultural, commercial, social and health care and technical programmes. The system is part of the Danish youth education system, and as such, is primarily targeted at young people (16+). However, the average age of trainees in VET is 22, and the VET system also offers a wide range of possibilities for adults (25+). Furthermore, the trend is towards an integration of IVET and CVET in one system in order to make the provision of VET transparent, flexible and attractive.

Facts and figures about VET in Denmark

Approximately one third of a youth cohort enrols in a VET programme after basic schooling (2007). There is a decrease in the number of young people who enter a VET programme as the trend is currently for young people to opt for the more academically-oriented upper secondary education programmes. The most popular programmes are the commercial, building and construction, technology and communication, and the social and health care programmes.

The drop-out rate is high. Only around 70% complete the basic course and 80% complete the main course. Many of the trainees who drop out continue in other VET programmes or in the general upper secondary education programmes. Nonetheless, 40% of all dropouts are estimated not to continue any education or training programme within the next ten years. The dropout rate is higher among men than women and higher among immigrants than among those with Danish origin. In general, drop-out rates are a major problem in the Danish VET programmes, and reducing the number of trainees dropping out, especially in technical training, is an important political priority.

Approximately 80% of those completing a VET programme enter the labour market and are employed in a company one year after completion.

The number of male trainees in VET is, on average, marginally higher than the number of females trainees: with 55% male trainees and 45% female trainees. However, gender distribution is uneven among the various programmes, e.g. within the social and health care programmes, female trainees constitute 93%, whilst within traditionally male sectors, such as mechanical engineering, transport and logistics, they constitute only 4%.

The average age of trainees on the basic courses was 21 in 2005. For the main courses, the average age was 26. In 2005, one out of ten trainees were immigrants or from ethnic minorities.

Danish VET is characterized by four objectives: to be an involving, flexible, inclusive and developing system. In the following chapters 2-5, these four objectives are further elaborated.

Source:
Facts and Figures 2007. The Danish Ministry of Education, 2008.
Uddannelse på kryds og tværs. The Danish Ministry of Education, 2004.

Footnotes

3) The Act on Vocational Education and Training LBK no. 561 of 06/06/2007.

groslash;n streg This page is part of the electronic publication "The Danish Vocational Education and Training System. 2nd edition"
© The Ministry of Education 2008

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