Who is responsible for apprenticeships

The Danish Model

In Denmark, all matters related to the labour market are negotiated between the employer’s association, the employee’s union and the government. This is called the Danish Model.

Thus, employers’ associations and trade unions make up the two sides of the social dialogue. (Sometimes the government is also included.) These social partners have a vital role to play in reaching out to employees and employers. They also seek to increase the representation of their membership to ensure deeper and broader benefits of association, representation and leadership, also in the field of public policy, its formulation and implementation.

National trade committees

Pursuant to Danish legislation on vocational training, employers’ associations and trade unions establish national trade committees for all vocational courses. These committees are made up of an equal number of representatives of the employers and the employees.

The responsibilities of a trade committee include:

  • Continuous updating of the content and framework of the apprenticeship in admissions regulations and course programmes
  • Certification of employers
  • Apprenticeship Agreements – curtailment, credits, extensions
  • Liaison with ministries and organisations about the apprenticeships
  • Apprenticeship tests – content and development
  • Appointment of external examiners
  • Certificate of vocational aptitude and medals
  • Disputes
  • Appropriate surveys, trials and development projects for the apprenticeship and its technical areas

The national trade committees may assign tasks to local training councils at individual vocational colleges.

Local training committees

The vocational colleges establish local training councils for each of the apprenticeships courses offered at the college. The national trade committees appoints an equal number of members representing the employers and employees to the local training councils. At the local level, these are required to advise the colleges on the planning of the apprenticeships, work towards the development of partnerships with local employers and strive to secure further work placement opportunities.