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EU Member States

Denmark

Apprenticeships and vocational education and training (VET) in Denmark: 1 apprenticeship scheme · 46 VET policies (16 on apprenticeship) · 81 indicators with data · 19 open datasets.

Apprenticeship schemes

Denmark has 1 mainstream apprenticeship scheme in Cedefop's European database on apprenticeship schemes.

Apprenticeship (VET programmes)

Lærlingeuddannelser

Denmark's main VET route: alternating school periods and long company placements under a training agreement, with apprentice wages set by collective agreement and employers reimbursed through the AUB levy fund.

Education level
Upper secondary (NQF 4)
Duration
Usually 4 yrs incl. the basic school year
Time at the workplace
Mostly at work (≥2/3) — ~2/3 enterprise, 1/3 school (block release)
Apprentice compensation
Wage
Pay (as stated)
Wage per collective agreement; employer reimbursed from the AUB fund during school periods
Apprentices
105 745 in IVET (Sept 2025)
Qualification
Journeyman / VET qualification, NQF 4

Source: Cedefop — European database on apprenticeship schemes. Cedefop's coded answers (filters and the comparison matrix) are imported directly from the 2026 fiches. The short descriptions (overview, duration, learners, pay) were condensed by hand and checked against the fiche text on 2026-10-01. The official fiches remain authoritative.

Key figures

Latest value for Denmark on the main measures of vocational education and work-based learning, with the EU-27 figure for the same year where one is published. Select an indicator for its map, ranking, trend and downloads.

IndicatorDenmarkEU-27Year
Recent VET graduates who had work-based learningEurostat · tps0021579.9% b66.0%2025
Share of upper-secondary VET pupils in work-based programmesEurostat; calculation by Apprentix · educ_uoe_enrs0499.9%24.7% d2024
Pupils in combined school- and work-based upper-secondary VETEurostat · educ_uoe_enrs04108,913 pupils2,262,565 pupils d2024
IVET students as % of all upper secondary studentsCedefop · KIVET 101039.3%49.4%2024
Employment rate of recent VET graduatesEurostat · edat_lfse_2489.0% b80.1%2025
Employment premium for recent IVET graduates (over general stream) (%)Cedefop · KIVET 2090a7.4% b13.3%2025
Employment rate of adults with vocational vs general upper-secondary qualifications (OECD)Vocational upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education; From 25 to 64 yearsOECD83.7% B—2025
Enterprises employing initial-VET participantsEurostat · trng_cvt_34s38.8% of enterprises32.4% of enterprises2020
IVET learners who benefitted from a learning mobility abroad (%)Cedefop · KIVET 10263.6%2.2% dV2021
Erasmus+ VET mobility projectsEuropean Commission (DG EAC / EACEA), Erasmus+ project results · ErasmusPlus_KA155 projects6,890 projects2025
Early leavers from education and training (%)Cedefop · KIVET 301010.0% b9.1%2025
NEET rate for 15-29 year-olds (%)Cedefop · KIVET 30308.9% b11.0%2025

Sources: Eurostat (CC-BY-4.0); Eurostat; calculation by Apprentix (CC-BY-4.0); Cedefop (CC-BY-4.0); OECD (CC-BY-4.0); European Commission (DG EAC / EACEA), Erasmus+ project results (CC-BY-4.0). Totals only (default breakdown). Letters after a value are the publisher's flags; hover for their meaning.

More indicators

69 further indicators have data for Denmark, each with a map, ranking, trend and downloads.

Show 69 indicators

Recent apprenticeship policies

Cedefop and ReferNet track 46 VET policies in Denmark since 2015, of which 16 concern apprenticeship or work-based learning. The most recently reported:

  1. Mandatory work experienceRegulation/Legislation · Implementation phase (2025)
  2. The Junior apprenticeship schemePractical measure/Initiative · Implementation phase (2025)
  3. A substantial reinforcement of VETRegulation/Legislation · Implementation phase (2025)
  4. Prepared for the future V: reforming upper secondary education by introducing a new VET pathway (EPX)Strategy/Action plan · Implementation phase (2025)
  5. Apprentices' rights if they experience sexual harassmentPractical measure/Initiative · Implementation phase (2025)
  6. A coherent plan for the education systemStrategy/Action plan · Implementation phase (2025)
  7. Right to six weeks of job-oriented vocational trainingRegulation/Legislation · Implementation phase (2025)
  8. Job-VEU-ModelRegulation/Legislation · Implementation phase (2025)

Source: Cedefop & ReferNet — Timeline of VET policies in Europe (2025 update) (CC-BY-4.0).

Open datasets

19 open datasets on apprenticeship and VET from Denmark are listed on Europe's open-data portals, 2 of them specifically about apprenticeship.

Source: data.europa.eu — the official portal for European data (search API) (EC-reuse). Each dataset keeps its own licence.

Sources and licences

Apprenticeship schemes
Cedefop — European database on apprenticeship schemes. Cedefop's legal notice: reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged, save where otherwise stated. Fiches also credit national ReferNet experts. Read 2026-10-01.
Key figures
Eurostat (CC-BY-4.0); Eurostat; calculation by Apprentix (CC-BY-4.0); Cedefop (CC-BY-4.0); OECD (CC-BY-4.0); European Commission (DG EAC / EACEA), Erasmus+ project results (CC-BY-4.0).
Policies
Cedefop & ReferNet — Timeline of VET policies in Europe (2025 update). CC BY 4.0. Cite as: Cedefop, & ReferNet. (2026). Timeline of VET policies in Europe (2025 update): Research dataset [Data set].
Open datasets
data.europa.eu — the official portal for European data (search API). Catalogue metadata: European Commission reuse notice (Decision 2011/833/EU). Each dataset keeps its own licence, shown per entry.
Last updated
2026-10-01

Apprentix republishes these figures and records; the publishers' own versions remain authoritative. See Data & sources for reuse conditions.

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