2024
Government green paper to ensure more skilled workers in the healthcare system and elderly care
January 2024
In the light of an increasing demand for qualified social and health care staff, the Danish government has presented a green paper on ways to ensure more skilled workers in the healthcare system and elderly care. The green paper addresses challenges with decreasing applications and a high drop-out rate at the social and health care training programmes.
The government proposes to increase the quality by implementing a permanent increase in the funding of the Basic Health Care Colleges that offer social and health care training programmes. The Basic Health Care Colleges will have autonomy to use the increased funding as they see fit according to local needs. For instance, they could introduce mentoring schemes and homework assistance for vulnerable students, invest in welfare technology and/or develop the teachers’ competences.
To ensure that more students apply for a social and health care training programme, the government proposes, among others, the following initiatives:
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The Danish regions and municipalities are obliged to offer more apprenticeships so difficulties with obtaining an agreement about an apprenticeship do not constitute a barrier for students attending a social and health care training programme;
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Trainee salary for all students aged 25 years and over during their social and health care training programmes;
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More pathways into the social and health care worker programme, for instance for persons with relevant work experience that do not fulfil the admission requirements;
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No tuition fees for students obtaining social and health care training qualifications through adult vocational training courses (AMU).
The government proposes, among others, the following initiatives to reduce drop-out and ensure that more students complete a social and health care training programme:
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Funding of investments in simulation equipment to support the use of simulation-based training. The purpose of the simulation-based training is to reduce the “practice shock” among the students;
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Qualifying courses for the instructors guiding and training the students during their apprenticeships. The courses should provide the instructors with competences to support the students’ vocational reflection, ease the “practice shock” students might experience when starting their apprenticeships, support students in vulnerable situations, and guide and support students with insufficient Danish language proficiency.
For more information (in Danish), please visit the Ministry of Children and Education.
2023
New tripartite agreement ensures long-term investments in adult education and training
September 2023
The Danish government and the social partners representing employers and employees have entered into a tripartite agreement, which includes long-term investments in adult education and training. The purpose is to ensure that the workforce is well equipped for the future and the needs of the labour market. With the agreement, 360 million DKK will be set aside annually to improve adult education and training.
The agreement includes the following main elements for skilled and unskilled workers:
- Continuous increase in funding for adult vocational training (AMU);
- 100 million DKK is set aside annually for retraining, so unskilled and skilled workers and adults with a short- or medium-cycle higher education can receive grants to attend continuing and further education and training;
- A national initiative for the improvement in basic skills is established between the Danish government, the social partners and 10-20 major employers in Denmark. Employers participating in the initiative make a commitment to work systematically with basic skills;
- Funds are set aside in order to improve digital learning in adult vocational education (AMU). For instance, the funds can be used for investments in digital learning equipment and competence development;
- Increased allowances for adults attending adult vocational training (AMU), preparatory adult education (FVU) and education for adults with dyslexia (OBU);
- 13 million DKK is set aside annually from 2024 to 2026 and seven million DKK is set aside permanently for investments in reach-out activities and guidance for the businesses;
- The subjects FVU-digital and FVU-English are made permanent from 2024 and onwards and the target groups of the subjects will be expanded;
- Continuous grants for guidance for adults and VEU coordinators, so adults and businesses can receive guidance about the opportunities for skill development and continuing education and training;
- Five million DKK is set aside in 2024 and seven million DKK is set aside permanently for a new so-called sporskifteordning, where employees in risk of regeneration can change occupation;
- The current test requirements in adult vocational education (AMU) are made permanent from 2024 and onwards;
- A new model for providing adult vocational education (AMU) will be developed.
For more information (in Danish), please visit The Ministry of Children and Education.
High increase in the number of students at vocational education and training programmes that obtain an internship by the end of the basic programme
March 2023
According to the latest data from the Ministry of Children and Education, the share of students that by the end of the second part of the basic programme has entered an agreement with an employer about an internship has increased from 44 per cent in 2020 to 65 per cent in 2022.
In November 2020, the government and the social partners entered a tripartite agreement about more internships. The purpose of the agreement was to ensure that more students complete a vocational education and training programme. The intention is that early agreements about internships are to keep the students from dropping out by providing a more coherent education programme and thereby increase the likelihood of completion.
Among others, the tripartite agreement established two national objectives regarding agreements about internships:
- By the 15th week at the second part of the basic programme, 60 per cent of the students must have entered into agreements about an internship;
- By the end of the basic programme, 80 per cent of the students must have entered into agreements about an internship.
There has been agreed on a model that gradually implements the objectives, in which it is determined from which calendar year the objectives apply to each individual education programme.
In 2022, 68 of the 98 education programmes fulfilled the objectives according to the model about gradually implementing the objectives. Thereby, the latest data indicate a positive development in the fulfilment of the objectives.
For more information (in Danish), please consult the website of the Ministry of Children and Education.
2022
There have been no reforms.