- 2018Approved/Agreed
- 2019Approved/Agreed
- 2020Implementation
- 2021Implementation
- 2022Implementation
- 2023Implementation
- 2024Implementation
Background
This initiative aims to improve young people's path to education and jobs. It should be easier for young people to choose their education pathway, but also to choose again if they regret their initial choice. And more young people in the social welfare system must be equipped with a job-oriented desire to complete their education.
Description
On 19 December 2018, the Ministry of Finance presented a new policy action targeted at giving young people more room in choosing their education pathway or in changing pathways. Aspects of the initiative include:
- a new subsidy and taximeter system: the current grant and taximeter system in youth education does not in itself motivate schools to focus on quality and has become too opaque. The government will therefore initiate a review to implement changes and simplify the system;
- better education coverage in sparsely populated areas: to give young people better opportunities to train in different parts of the country, the government will provide DKK 25 million (EUR 3.333 million) for new education satellites providing vocational education programmes, which are designed to bring vocational education closer to young people;
- several vocational schools and colleges under the same roof: having several interdisciplinary institutions under the same roof will make it easier for young people to change education pathways within the same institution;
- a new referral taximeter system from colleges to vocational schools: young people who regret having begun high school at an early stage must be better supported in switching to vocational education. A new referral taximeter should give colleges a cash reward if they help students change and gain a foothold in vocational training;
- harmonisation of institutional legislation: public high...
On 19 December 2018, the Ministry of Finance presented a new policy action targeted at giving young people more room in choosing their education pathway or in changing pathways. Aspects of the initiative include:
- a new subsidy and taximeter system: the current grant and taximeter system in youth education does not in itself motivate schools to focus on quality and has become too opaque. The government will therefore initiate a review to implement changes and simplify the system;
- better education coverage in sparsely populated areas: to give young people better opportunities to train in different parts of the country, the government will provide DKK 25 million (EUR 3.333 million) for new education satellites providing vocational education programmes, which are designed to bring vocational education closer to young people;
- several vocational schools and colleges under the same roof: having several interdisciplinary institutions under the same roof will make it easier for young people to change education pathways within the same institution;
- a new referral taximeter system from colleges to vocational schools: young people who regret having begun high school at an early stage must be better supported in switching to vocational education. A new referral taximeter should give colleges a cash reward if they help students change and gain a foothold in vocational training;
- harmonisation of institutional legislation: public high schools, adult education centres and vocational schools are based on different institutional legislation. Under this proposal, the government will work to harmonise legislation so it does not slow down cooperation across education institutions;
- strengthening Study Choice Denmark: the government will strengthen Study Choice Denmark (Studievalg Danmark), which advises 250 000 young people each year, with a grant of DKK 24 million to provide better guidance on choosing higher education.
This agreement is from late 2018, so there have been no new developments in this policy.
This initiative was still under implementation and development in 2020.
The work on all actions continued,but affected by Covid-19 and the closing of VET institutions for some parts of the year.
The action was operational and ran as a regular practice.
The initiative was operational and ran as regular practice.
The initiative was operational and ran as regular practice.
Bodies responsible
- Ministry of Finance
Target groups
Learners
- Learners in upper secondary, including apprentices
- Young people (15-29 years old)
- Young people not in employment, education or training (NEETs)
- Learners with migrant background, including refugees
- Learners at risk of early leaving or/and early leavers
- Learners with disabilities
- Learners from other groups at risk of exclusion (minorities, people with fewer opportunities due to geographical location or social-economic disadvantaged position)
Thematic categories
Governance of VET and lifelong learning
This thematic category looks at existing legal frameworks providing for strategic, operational – including quality assurance – and financing arrangements for VET and lifelong learning (LLL). It examines how VET and LLL-related policies are placed in broad national socioeconomic contexts and coordinate with other strategies and policies, such as economic, social and employment, growth and innovation, recovery and resilience.
This thematic category covers partnerships and collaboration networks of VET stakeholders – especially the social partners – to shape and implement VET in a country, including looking at how their roles and responsibilities for VET at national, regional and local levels are shared and distributed, ensuring an appropriate degree of autonomy for VET providers to adapt their offer.
The thematic category also includes efforts to create national, regional and sectoral skills intelligence systems (skills anticipation and graduate tracking) and using skills intelligence for making decisions about VET and LLL on quality, inclusiveness and flexibility.
This thematic sub-category refers to the ways VET is funded at the system level. Policies include optimisation of VET provider funding that allows them to adapt their offer to changing skill needs, green and digital transitions, the social agenda and economic cycles, e.g. increasing the funding for VET or for specific programmes. They can also concern changing the mechanism of how the funding is allocated to VET schools (per capita vs based on achievement or other criteria). Using EU funds and financial instruments for development of VET and skills also falls into this sub-category.
Supporting lifelong learning culture and increasing participation
Lifelong learning refers to all learning (formal, non-formal or informal) taking place at all stages in life and resulting in an improvement or update in knowledge, skills, competences and attitudes or in participation in society from a personal, civic, cultural, social or employment-related perspective (Erasmus+, Glossary of terms, https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/programme-guide/part-d/glossary-common-terms). A systemic approach to CVET is crucial to ensure adaptability to evolving demands.
This broad thematic category looks at ways of creating opportunities and ensuring access to re-skilling and upskilling pathways, allowing individuals to progress smoothly in their learning throughout their lives with better permeability between general and vocational education and training, and better integration and compatibility between initial and continuing VET and with higher education. Individuals should be supported in acquiring and updating their skills and competences and navigating easily through education and training systems. Strategies and campaigns that promote VET and LLL as an attractive and high-quality pathway, providing quality lifelong guidance and tailored support to design learning and career paths, and various incentives (financial and non-financial) to attract and support participation in VET and LLL fall into this thematic category as well.
This thematic category also includes many initiatives on making VET inclusive and ensuring equal education and training opportunities for various groups of learners, regardless of their personal and economic background and place of residence – especially those at risk of disadvantage or exclusion, such as persons with disabilities, the low-skilled and low-qualified, minorities, migrants, refugees and others.
This thematic sub-category refers to ensuring smooth transitions (permeability) of learners within the entire education and training system, horizontally and vertically. It includes measures and policies allowing learners easily or by meeting certain conditions to move from general education programmes to VET and vice versa; to increase qualification levels in their vocation through the possibility of attending vocational programmes at higher levels, including professional degrees in higher education. It also covers opening up learning progression by introducing flexible pathways that are based on the validation and recognition of the outcomes of non-formal and informal learning.
This thematic sub-category refers to providing high-quality lifelong learning and career guidance services, including making full use of Europass and other digital services and resources.
This thematic sub-category refers to making VET pathways and programmes inclusive and accessible for all. It concerns measures and targeted actions to increase access and participation in VET and lifelong learning for learners from all vulnerable groups, and to support their school/training-to-work transitions. It includes measures to prevent early leaving from education and training. The thematic sub-category covers measures promoting gender balance in traditionally ‘male’ and ‘female’ professions and addressing gender-related and other stereotypes. The vulnerable groups are, but not limited to: persons with disabilities; the low-qualified/-skilled; minorities; persons of migrant background, including refugees; people with fewer opportunities due to their geographical location and/or their socioeconomically disadvantaged circumstances.
Subsystem
Further reading
Country
Type of development
Cedefop, & ReferNet. (2025). The initiative Courage in life: paths to education and jobs: Denmark. In Cedefop, & ReferNet. (2025). Timeline of VET policies in Europe (2024 update) [Online tool].
https://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/tools/timeline-vet-policies-europe/search/28762