Denmark has placed international apprentice mobility at the center of its vocational education and training (VET) policy, following the priorities set by the Herning Declaration under its EU Presidency.
A new national campaign aims to increase fivefold the number of Danish apprentices gaining training experience abroad by 2035. This will be supported by increased financial incentives, strengthened recognition of learning outcomes acquired abroad, and expanded cooperation between VET providers across Europe.
The Herning Declaration
At the September 2025 ministerial meeting in Herning, the Herning Declaration set a shared European priority to expand and improve learning mobility across VET.
According to the latest European estimates, only 5.1% of medium-level VET learners benefit from learning experiences abroad. This is far from the council’s target recommendation, ‘Europe on the move’ of 12% by 2030. The Danish Presidency is determined to close this gap, seeing mobility as a driver of skills development, competitiveness and quality jobs. The ambition reflects a broader European effort to make VET as attractive, excellent and inclusive as higher education. As the Minister for Children and Education, Mattias Tesfaye, noted:
It should be just as common for students and apprentices in vocational education and training to go on a stay abroad as it is for students in higher education.
Apprentice mobility in Denmark — walking the talk
Although programmes for placements with employers or at vocational schools abroad are available, only a small percentage of VET students in Denmark participate. Most participants come from the same fields, with several hundred agricultural and office trainees going abroad each year, while few apprentices in hairdressing, carpentry, and bricklaying do so.
Ahead of the Herning Declaration, Denmark has therefore already launched new initiatives to translate its ambitions into concrete action. On 19 June 2025, the Danish government announced a national campaign to increase apprentice mobility, aiming to raise the average number of apprentices going abroad annually from 1 000 to 5 000 by 2035. To support this goal, the mobility grant has been raised from DKK 7 130 (EUR 954.90) to DKK 17 126 (EUR 2 293.90) per international placement.
A foreign placement allows a Danish apprentice to spend part of their practical training period in a company abroad, typically lasting several weeks or months, with full recognition in their national programme. Such experiences strengthen both technical and intercultural competences, enhance employability and support European cooperation in VET. The campaign also seeks to foster closer ties between Danish vocational schools and European host institutions, expanding the network of training opportunities and ensuring mutual learning across borders.
