Vocationally Oriented Secondary Education and Training

The vocational education and training programmes which qualify directly for the labour market. There are approx. 85 different vocational education and training programmes. Within a great number of these programmes, the students may choose from among different specialisations, which brings the total number of programmes up to around 300. The vocational education and training programmes are offered at vocational colleges which are self-governing institutions funded by the State according to activity, i.e. according to the number of students enrolled.

The vocational education and training programmes are sandwich-type programmes where long coherent school periods alternate with long practical training periods in a practical training place (in the private or public sector). The programmes are normally of a duration of between 2 and 4 years, where the theoretical instruction at school is of between 6 months' and 2 years' duration. With a few exceptions (programmes with a great number of applicants compared to the employment prospects), there is free access to these programmes.

The basic social and health training programmes are modular programmes which, like the vocational education and training programmes, combine theory and practice. The theoretical part of the programmes takes place at social and health service schools which are run by the counties. The training programme for social and health service helps is of 2 years' duration, including the introductory year, and the training programme for social and health service assistants is of 2.5 years' duration, including the introductory year. It applies to all these programmes that the overall framework is laid down in the legislation in close co-operation with the social partners.

The agricultural education and training programme leads to the qualification of skilled farmer. It is a sandwich-type programme, where theoretical education at an agricultural college alternates with practical training in agriculture. The programme is of 3.5 years' duration and consists of 2 modules. It is possible to specialise within several areas. "The green certificate" is acquired by completing a third module, which consists of 14 months of educational and/or vocational experience, of which a minimum of 6 months must be work in agriculture, followed by a 4-month course in farm management. There is also a number of forestry, home economics and maritime programmes at this level.

Vocational education and training is at the overall level regulated by two acts: the Act on vocational colleges (Bekendtgørelse af lov om erhvervsskoler) which constitutes the general framework for the management, the financing and the activities of the vocational colleges and the Act on Vocational Education and Training (Bekendtgørelse af lov om erhvervsuddannelser) which regulates the general framework of the education proper. In addition, there are education orders for the individual programmes, which contain provisions about the aims, structure and objectives of the programmes, the targets and framework of the theoretical education and the practical training, respectively, etc.

With the reform, the introductory parts of the vocational education and training programmes are merged into a limited number of flexible common access routes. There is a total of seven access routes - six for the technical vocational education and training programmes and one for the commercial programmes. Each of the access routes leads the participant to the basic course of a number of related vocational education and training programmes, which are called:

When deciding on the number and design of the admission routes, it was taken into consideration that there was to be a reasonable geographical spread in the supply. So the admission routes to the programmes are as far as possible available all over the country. In order to ensure the quality and an adequate geographical spread, it is therefore required that colleges cooperate on providing teaching at basic course level.

It is the aim of the vocational education and training programmes to ensure the labour market an intake of qualified skilled staff and at the same time give primarily young people (and secondarily adults) an education and training opportunity.

In addition to leading to employment, it is the aim of the vocational education and training programmes that they are to give the graduates access and inspire to further education, and at the same time they are to contribute to the students' personal and social development. The vocational education and training programmes are youth education programmes in the sense that they follow on to basic school.

A vocational education and training programme is a sandwich-type programme, in which periods of theoretical education at school alternate with periods of practical training in a business enterprise. The contents of the programmes are continuously adapted to the development in society in a close cooperation between the Ministry of Education, the colleges and the social partners (trade committees and local education committees). Topics such as information technology, personal qualifications and internationalisation therefore get an ever increasing importance in the vocational education and training programmes.

The theoretical education takes place at vocational colleges, and the practical training takes place in approved business enterprises which conclude training agreements with the students. School-based practical training is an option for students who have been unable to find a practical training place in a business enterprise, and who moreover fulfil a number of conditions in this respect.

The vocational education and training programmes take their point of departure in the fact that school leavers from the 9th form of the basic school have as a main rule free access to the programmes.

A reform with effect from 2001 has modified the technical vocational education and training programmes so that they now have a simplified structure and a more flexible organisation.

The programmes consist of a basic course, which is the introductory part of the programme, and a main course, which makes up the remainder of the programme.

The basic courses are school-based and completed with the award of a certificate documenting the completed basic course. The certificate lists the subjects and levels completed by the student and constitutes the basis for admission to the main course.

The main course consists of both theoretical education at school and practical training and requires that the student concludes a training agreement with a business enterprise or is admitted to the school-based practical training scheme.

The main course starts with a practical training period in a business enterprise or - if the student has not been able to find a practical training place to conclude a training agreement with, and he or she meets the requirements in this respect - in school-based practical training. After this, there is an alternance of school periods and practical training periods.

The contents of the school education build on basic subjects, area subjects, special subject modules and optional subjects. There is a total weighting between these subject types during the entire programme so that the basic subjects and the optional subjects take up approx. half of the school time, and the area subjects and specialisation subjects take up the other half.

The specialisation subjects constitute the highest subject-specific levels of the programme. As something new, a connection will be created from 2001 between the specialisation subjects in the vocational education and training programmes and those in the vocational continuing training programmes under the adult vocational training system so that the apprentice and his or her practical training business are in a position to choose those special modules from the continuing training programmes which are most relevant. The cooperation between the two training systems will result in a joint catalogue of vocational education and training and adult and further training programmes for the relevant specialisations.

The employer pays a salary to the student from the conclusion of the training agreement - also during school periods. The employer receives reimbursement from the Employers' Reimbursement Scheme for the salary paid to the student during the school periods.

All students enrolled in vocational education and training have their own personal education plan.

It is the aim of the education plan to ensure concordance between the student's desires, interests and abilities and the actual course of education. The contents of the individual student's basic course and main course - including the practical training part of the programme - are thus defined in the personal education plan.

The drawing up of the personal education plan must be done in a cooperation between the student and the college - and for students who have concluded a training agreement with a business enterprise also in cooperation with the practical training place. In this way, it is underlined that it is the student, who within the framework of the provisions applying to the chosen programme determines his or her own course of education. This will on the one hand make it possible to meet the student's individual learning needs, and on the other hand it will make it possible to develop the personal competency of the student.

The basic course normally consists of a total of 20 weeks of teaching. Of this, 5 weeks are devoted to compulsory basic subjects, and another 5 weeks are devoted to training-specific area subjects, which are directed at a given main course (specialisation). The remaining 10 weeks consist of common area subjects, i.e. area subjects defined jointly by the trade committees within an admission field or parts of an admission field.

The students may individually extend the basic course up to 60 weeks as part of an individual education plan.

For programmes, where the final objectives in the theoretical and/or practical area are particularly high, the Minister of Education may approve that higher requirements should be set with regard to the levels that are to be attained in the basic and area subjects during the basic course than what can normally be attained in 20 weeks by students on the basis of the 9th form of the basic school. The levels in question must however under all circumstances be attainable within a time framework of 40 weeks.

The students are to receive education which will enable them to meet the competency requirements in the labour market. The total duration of a main course will normally not exceed 3.5 years. The duration of the compulsory school education in the main course can normally not exceed 60 weeks (1.5 years).

On completion of the basic course, the student is awarded a certificate documenting that he or she has completed this course and indicating the subjects and levels completed. The certificate also indicates the main courses which the student is qualified to continue in.

Together with the personal education plan, school guidelines and certificates, the educational portfolio or log-book must contain a description of the qualifications and competencies acquired by the student during school periods and practical training periods.

The vocational colleges receive grants from the state according to the so called taximeter system, which means that grants are allocated on the basis of the number of students enrolled. This system implies that colleges with a great number of students enrolled will receive a big grant, whereas colleges with a dwindling number of students will receive a reduced grant.

The teaching in Denmark is free of charge for the students. In vocational education and training, the trainees receive a salary during the entire contract period - both during the practical training and when they are at school. The employer receives a reimbursement of the salary expenditure etc., when the trainee is at school.

Some colleges have special boarding facilities. They can be used by students who have more than 1 hour and 15 minutes' transport from their home to the college. If there are not enough places available at these facilities, priority will be given to those students who have been admitted to programmes and specialisations which do not exist in their own local area. Students pay a fixed amount for their stay at the boarding facilities. Students under 18 years of age and students with a family to support may be exempted from payment, if it is not possible for them to follow a programme in their local area.

EMP/SKILLS - Skills and Employability Department