Reform of the Danish vocational education and training (VET) system establishes VET teachers’ minimum qualification requirements and VET students’ minimum entrance requirements, thus increasing quality in VET.
Legislation today sets vocational and pedagogical requirements for VET teachers. These requirements include basic vocational training or other relevant professional training, relevant and current experience of two to five years.
By 2020, all teachers in VET institutions must have a pedagogical improvement boost. The requirement that teachers permanently employed by 2010 or later within four years from the date of employment must acquire skills which as a minimum correspond to a completed pedagogical diploma programme – will be made permanent.
Financial funds will be set aside to enable VET teachers to join short occupational courses where their knowledge of the most recent vocational development within the subject and line of business may be updated. VET teachers must be equipped with practical skills and improve cooperation with companies.
VET teachers' pedagogical skills will be strengthened significantly. Assessment of VET teachers' skills needs will be based on VET institutions’ continuing education efforts and mapping of present pedagogical and vocational competence levels of teachers.
In general, skill development of VET teachers (both vocational and pedagogical) involves interaction with an individual VET institution and academic and educational development in line with the following initiatives:
- educational leadership;
- leadership development in practice;
- school development in practice.
Skill development for VET teachers must be practice-related and based on teachers' and VET institutions' daily vocational and pedagogical challenges.
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