Rural students embrace vocational training while urban areas lag behind

A new national scheme allowing Danish students to replace school days with workplace training has seen starkly different uptake across the country, with rural areas adopting the programme far more than cities, according to data obtained by DR.

Only 2.6 percent of eighth- and ninth-grade students nationwide participate in the juniormesterlære (junior apprenticeship) programme—half the number expected by the Ministry of Children and Education. In urban municipalities like Glostrup, not a single student is enrolled, while in Rebild, 78 students spend two days a week in practical training.

The scheme, launched last year, lets students swap classroom time for hands-on experience in fields like healthcare, plumbing, or mechanics. Former education minister Mattias Tesfaye (Social Democrats) introduced it as a way to engage students “who are tired of school or already know they want a vocational path.” Yet in many cities and North Zealand, participation remains minimal.

Business groups and teachers argue the programme could do more to address both student disengagement—one in ten ninth-graders failed Danish and math last year—and labour shortages. Niels Jørgen Jensen of the Danish Union of Teachers noted that for struggling students, “seeing how school subjects apply in real jobs can reignite their motivation to return to the classroom.”

Critics, including Kasper Munk Rasmussen of SMV Denmark (an SME association), blame inconsistent outreach by municipalities. “I’ve spoken to parents who’ve never even heard of this, despite their children being the perfect candidates,” he said, calling for a national standard to ensure families are properly informed. Mikkel Haarder of the Confederation of Danish Industry (DI) urged low-participation areas to “ask themselves if this couldn’t be a valuable option for their students.”

The programme’s success varies by local industry ties and traditions, according to Jesper Frost Rasmussen (Venstre), deputy chair of Local Government Denmark’s children and youth committee. Some regions, like Esbjerg, have long-standing partnerships with trades, while others are still building connections.

With Denmark facing a shortage of skilled workers, advocates say expanding the scheme could help bridge the gap—but only if students and employers know it exists.