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Eurydice

EACEA National Policies Platform:Eurydice
Lifelong learning strategy
Denmark

Denmark

1.Organisation and governance

1.2Lifelong learning strategy

Last update: 21 August 2026
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Current policy focus

Lifelong learning is a central element of Danish education policy. The overall aim is to ensure that children, young people and adults can develop relevant knowledge, skills and competences throughout life.

In recent years, lifelong learning has gained renewed political attention. This is linked to demographic change, skills shortages in several sectors, digitalisation, the green transition and changing labour-market needs. The policy focus has increasingly moved towards flexible education pathways, stronger links between education and work, and better opportunities for adults to upskill, reskill or change career path.

At higher education level, this means that the education system should not only provide initial qualifications early in life. It should also make it possible to return to education later when this is relevant to working life, family life and developments in the labour market.

Historical background

Denmark’s first comprehensive strategy for lifelong learning was adopted in 2007. It was prepared in connection with the European Lifelong Learning Programme and Denmark’s contribution to the common European objectives for education and training.

The 2007 strategy covered formal education, adult education and continuing training, non-formal learning, workplace-based learning and lifelong skills upgrading. It aimed to strengthen Denmark as a knowledge society with high competitiveness, strong social cohesion and good opportunities for individual development.

Although the 2007 strategy was implemented in the period 2007-2012, several of its principles still remain relevant. These include coherent education pathways, transparency in the education system, adult education and continuing training, guidance, recognition of prior learning and cooperation between education institutions, employers, social partners and public authorities.

Main objectives

The current Danish approach to lifelong learning focuses on:

  • strengthening the skills of the workforce throughout working life;
    • improving opportunities for upskilling, reskilling and career change;
    • supporting employability, productivity and economic growth;
    • responding to labour-market needs in both the public and private sectors;
    • creating more flexible pathways between education levels and between education and work;
    • making qualifications and learning outcomes transparent;
    • supporting social cohesion and participation in society.

Lifelong learning is therefore both an education policy objective and a labour-market objective. It is intended to benefit individuals, employers and society as a whole.

Adult education and continuing training

Adult education and continuing training (Voksen-, efter- og videreuddannelse, VEU) is a central part of the Danish lifelong learning system. VEU covers a broad range of adult education and continuing training opportunities. It includes general adult education, vocational adult education and training, and adult and continuing higher education.

VEU has several purposes. It enables adults to improve basic skills, obtain formal qualifications, strengthen occupational competences, change career path or continue their professional development after entering the labour market. It also supports employers’ need for qualified labour and contributes to the adaptability of the workforce.

The VEU system includes provision at several levels:

  • Preparatory adult education (forberedende voksenundervisning, FVU), which is aimed at adults who want to improve their reading, writing, mathematics, digital and English skills;
  • General adult education (almen voksenuddannelse, avu), which enables adults to improve their general knowledge and gives access to further education;
  • Dyslexia education for adults (ordblindeundervisning for voksne), which is specially organised teaching for adults with reading and writing difficulties;
  • Higher preparatory single-subject courses (hf-enkeltfag), which provide flexible general upper secondary education for adults;
  • Danish language education for adult foreigners;
  • Labour market training courses (arbejdsmarkedsuddannelser, AMU), which provide vocational skills and qualifications for skilled and unskilled workers;
  • Adult and continuing higher education, including academy profession programmes, diploma programmes, master’s programmes, individual modules and short, flexible education formats.

VEU is therefore both a general education instrument and a labour-market instrument. It supports adults with fewer basic skills, adults who need access to further education, employed adults who need new occupational competences and adults who need further education at higher education level.

Basic skills and access to further education

A key part of the Danish lifelong learning approach is to ensure that adults have opportunities to strengthen basic skills. This is important for participation in further education, employment and society.

Preparatory adult education (FVU) gives adults opportunities to improve basic skills in reading, writing, mathematics, digital task-solving and English. General adult education (avu) gives adults opportunities to improve their general knowledge and may provide access to further education. Dyslexia education for adults is targeted at adults with reading and writing difficulties.

These forms of provision help reduce barriers to participation in education and work. They also support adults who did not acquire sufficient basic skills during initial education, or whose skills need to be updated later in life.

Vocational adult education and training

Vocational adult education and training is an important part of Danish lifelong learning policy. Labour market training courses (AMU) are short vocational courses aimed primarily at skilled and unskilled workers. They are intended to provide competences that can be used directly in the labour market.

AMU courses contribute to upskilling and reskilling in both the private and public sectors. They are used by individuals, employers and job centres to strengthen vocational skills, respond to changing skills needs and support employment.

Adult and continuing higher education

Adult and continuing higher education is another important element of the Danish VEU system. At higher education level, VEU includes academy profession programmes, diploma programmes, master’s programmes, individual modules and short, flexible education formats.

Academy profession programmes are adult and continuing higher education programmes of 60 ECTS. They are at the level of academy profession education and are typically organised as part-time programmes.

Diploma programmes are adult and continuing higher education programmes at bachelor level. They are typically aimed at adults with previous education and work experience who want to strengthen their professional competences. They are typically organised as part-time programmes.

Master’s programmes are research-based adult and continuing education programmes of 60 ECTS. They are at master’s level and are typically organised as part-time programmes.

Separate modules are short, individual competence-giving adult and continuing education courses. They are not part of a full higher education programme. Separate modules may be offered at academy profession, diploma and master’s level.

Adult and continuing higher education is designed to make it possible to combine education with employment. It gives adults opportunities to develop their qualifications after entering the labour market and supports competence development in specialised professional fields.

Higher education reform and lifelong learning

The 2023 political agreement on the reform of university education has made lifelong learning a more prominent part of higher education policy.

The reform introduces a new master’s degree landscape with several pathways to a master’s degree. In addition to the ordinary master’s degree of 120-180 ECTS, the reform introduces new master’s programmes of 75 ECTS and new flexible industrial master’s programmes of 75 to 120 ECTS. The industrial master’s programmes are intended to make it easier to combine study and employment.

The reform also introduces new continuing education opportunities for graduates from master’s programmes of less than 120 ECTS. These graduates will have certain options to return to university to attend courses, modules and specially developed master’s-level programmes. These opportunities are expected to be without participant fees and linked to a requirement for concurrent employment.

Graduates from master’s programmes of less than 120 ECTS will also be able to obtain a supplementary master’s certificate if they complete further education at master’s level corresponding to a total of 120 ECTS. This provides formal documentation that they have built on their original master’s degree.

The reform also aims to reduce participant fees in the existing adult education and continuing training system for graduates from master’s programmes of less than 120 ECTS.

Professional and vocationally oriented higher education

The 2025 political agreement on the reform of professional bachelor and academy profession programmes also strengthens lifelong learning.

The main purpose of the reform is to strengthen the quality and academic level of professional bachelor and academy profession programmes. At the same time, the reform aims to create a more flexible higher education landscape with attractive education opportunities across the country. It gives more emphasis to education, professional development and career change throughout working life.

From 2030, new practice-oriented continuing education offers without participant fees are planned for relevant graduates. These offers will apply to graduates from professional bachelor programmes covered by the new structure, graduates from new three-year vocationally oriented professional bachelor programmes and graduates from academy profession programmes. They will also apply to people who have already completed these programmes.

The new continuing education offers will be closely linked to the original programmes and to concrete societal needs. They are intended to help professional bachelor and academy profession graduates acquire new and relevant knowledge in their field, for example in relation to new technologies, or to change career path later in life

The reform also introduces new one-year top-up programmes of 60 ECTS for graduates from academy profession programmes. These programmes will make it possible to reach professional bachelor level. They will have a clear labour-market orientation and may be taken either full time with state educational grant support or part time without participant fees.

New professional master’s programmes

The 2025 reform also introduces new practice-oriented professional master’s programmes. These programmes are aimed at professional bachelor graduates, particularly in welfare professions, who want further education targeted at tasks in the citizen-orientated welfare sector.

The professional master’s programmes are offered by university colleges. They are placed at level 7 of the Danish Qualifications Framework and have a practice-oriented profile reflecting concrete societal needs in the welfare sectors. They are intended to differ from university master’s programmes by focusing on complex tasks within the welfare professions.

Financial support for adult learners

Several financial support schemes support participation in adult education and continuing training.

VEU allowance supports participation in occupation-oriented adult and continuing training. It may compensate participants or employers for loss of income during training.

State educational support for adults (Statens Voksenuddannelsesstøtte, SVU) gives adults an opportunity to participate in education during working hours. SVU may be granted for certain types of education at primary, lower secondary or upper secondary level. It cannot be granted for higher education programmes that are eligible for ordinary state educational grant support.

The Adjustment Fund (Omstillingsfonden) supports participation in adult and continuing higher education. The fund may cover participant fees for continuing higher education at up to professional bachelor or diploma level. It targets unskilled workers, skilled workers and people with a higher education qualification up to and including professional bachelor level. The fund may cover participant fees up to DKK 10,000 per calendar year per participant, subject to the applicable conditions and available funds.

These support schemes are intended to reduce financial barriers to participation in adult learning. They also support the Danish model in which employers, employees and public authorities share responsibility for competence development.

Responsibilities and coordination

Responsibility for lifelong learning is shared between several actors.

At central level, the Ministry of Education is responsible for large parts of adult education and vocational adult education. The Ministry of Science, Higher Education and Digital Affairs and the Danish Agency for Higher Education and Science are responsible for adult and continuing higher education. Employment authorities, municipalities, education institutions and the social partners also play important roles.

Denmark has not established one single national agency for lifelong learning. Instead, lifelong learning policy is coordinated through the ordinary governance structures of the education, higher education and employment systems.

The social partners are central actors in the Danish lifelong learning system. They contribute to identifying skills needs, developing adult education and continuing training, and supporting competence development in workplaces. Education institutions are responsible for developing and providing programmes and modules within the legal and financial framework set by the state.

Consultation with education institutions, employers, trade unions, municipalities and regions are applied in the development and implementation of major reforms. The 2023 university reform and the 2025 reform of professional bachelor and academy profession programmes both emphasise the involvement of education institutions, students, employers and other relevant stakeholders.

Qualifications transparency and recognition of learning

The Danish Qualifications Framework for Lifelong Learning supports lifelong learning by making qualifications transparent. The framework gives an overview of the levels of qualifications in the Danish education system and shows how qualifications relate to one another. It can also be used to compare Danish and foreign qualifications.

The framework is based on learning outcomes. Each level is described in terms of knowledge, skills and competences. This supports coherence across the education system and helps learners, education institutions and employers understand the level and content of qualifications.

Recognition of prior learning is also part of the lifelong learning approach. Adults may have competences acquired through work, non-formal learning or previous education assessed in relation to admission, individual study plans or parts of an education programme. More information on recognition and validation is provided in chapter 7.5.

European dimension

Denmark’s lifelong learning policy is linked to European cooperation on education and training. The 2007 lifelong learning strategy was developed in the context of European cooperation on lifelong learning.

Current policy developments also support European objectives on skills, employability, flexible learning pathways, transparency of qualifications, recognition of learning and participation in lifelong learning.

References

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