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Human Resources Development Convention, 1975 (No. 142) - Denmark (RATIFICATION: 1981)

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Articles 1–5 of the Convention. Formulation and implementation of vocational education and training polices, and programmes. Cooperation with the social partners. The Committee notes with interest the signing of two tripartite agreements on apprenticeships and strengthening recruitment in the public labour market signed during the reporting period. In this regard, the Committee notes that, in November 2020, a new tripartite agreement on apprenticeships was signed, which includes initiatives worth 500 million Danish Krone annually. It sets the goal of having at least 80 per cent of the students obtain an apprenticeship agreement before they complete the basic course. In this respect, the tripartite agreement envisages the adoption of measures with a view to reducing the number of short apprenticeship agreements to ensure that the whole period of the student’s training is covered; recruiting and retaining more young persons aged between 18 to 24 in vocational education; increasing the flexibility of vocation training; and increasing salary reimbursement for companies with apprentices. Moreover, the Government indicates that the agreement on strengthening recruitment in the public labour market is aimed at attracting more students to the health and care sector. Under the agreement, the participating municipalities undertake as of 1 July 2021 to employ students aged 25 and over from the beginning of the second part of the basic course. This ensures that the students will receive a salary during the initial basic course in addition to having a clear agreement on where they will continue in their internship after the basic course. With regard to adult vocational training programmes, the Government indicates that it works closely with the social partners in different fora, including at the national level, in the National Council for Adult Vocational Education and Training and 11 committees responsible for different sectors of the labour market; and at the local level, on the governing boards of institutions providing adult vocational training. The Government reports that the evaluation of the impact of the 2017 tripartite agreement on adult vocational training was envisaged for the end of 2021.

The Committee further notes that, in 2019, the 2003 Act on Guidance was replaced by the Danish Consolidation Act on Municipal Provision for Young People under 25. The 2019 Act has a bigger focus on young persons and grants greater autonomy to municipalities to enable them to tailor the guidance provided to the needs of the young person. The Government reports that vocational guidance is provided to young people aged 15 to 25, through 98 municipal youth guidance units (replacing the former Danish Youth Guidance Center), as well as through Study Career Guidance Denmark, which has seven regional study and career guidance centres. Vocational guidance is also provided via the contact platform eGuidance and the website “the Education Guide”. Furthermore, the Government indicates that in 2017 it set an ambitious goal of having at least 90 per cent of 25-year-olds complete general or vocational upper secondary education and reducing by half the percentage of young persons that are not in education, employment or training (NEETs). To this end, a free Preparatory Basic Education and Training (FGU) has been put in place and has been operational since August 2019. The education provided by the FGU lasts for up to two years and will enable young people below the age of 25 to improve their professional, personal and social skills and enable them to move into upper secondary education or into the labour market. The FGU consists of three tracks: general basic education, basic production education (work-based education with a high level of practical training), and basic vocational education (internship-based education). The Committee further notes the information provided by the Government in relation to the campaigns and other measures being carried out to increase young people’s interest in vocational training. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide updated information on the content and impact of the measures taken to promote vocational guidance and vocational training, particularly among young people. It also requests the Government to continue to provide updated information on the manner in which the cooperation of the social partners is ensured in relation to the development, implementation and review of vocational education and training policies. In particular, the Government is requested to communicate detailed information on the results of the evaluation carried out on the impact of the tripartite agreement on adult training and education. In addition, the Committee requests the Government to provide detailed updated information on the impact of the tripartite agreements on apprenticeships and on strengthening recruitment in the public labour market.

Articles 1(5) and 3. Persons with special needs and disabilities. The Government indicates that vocational training and educational policies and programmes to support persons with special needs and disabilities are guided by the principle of ensuring equal opportunities to and in education. The Government indicates that persons with needs arising from social disadvantages or impairments, which in interaction with societal barriers hinder full and effective participation in education on an equal basis with others, are entitled to support. All upper secondary educational institutions are required to apply for support for students with documented special needs. The Government adds that different supportive measures are provided depending on the individual’s needs, such as: learning materials designed to meet the needs of persons who have dyslexia; sign language interpretation and captioning; and secretarial, personal or practical support. Educational institutions are also required to adapt to students’ special needs in the context of testing and exams. The Government also refers to the implementation since 2007 of the specially designed youth education (STU) programme, which is aimed at young persons under the age of 25 with special needs who are unable to follow ordinary upper secondary or vocational courses even with special education assistance. The objective of the STU is to ensure that young persons with special needs acquire skills to enable them to enjoy greater independence and actively participation in adult life as well as to pursue further education and employment should they wish to do so. Lastly, the Government indicates that, in upper secondary education, all students above the age of 18 are entitled to receive a student grant. Moreover, in vocational training, students with disabilities are entitled to a specific additional benefit. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide detailed up-to-date information on the nature and scope of vocational guidance and training measures targeting persons with special needs and disabilities with the aim of increasing their participation in education, including further education, and employment. It further requests the Government to provide detailed up-to-date information, including statistics disaggregated by sex and age, on the results of such measures, including the number of beneficiaries and the impact of the measures in promoting equal access to opportunities for lasting employment.

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Articles 1–5 of the Convention. Formulation and implementation of vocational education and training policies and programmes. Cooperation with the social partners. The Committee notes the series of measures undertaken by the Government to promote vocational education and training. The Government refers to the existing machinery for the development of comprehensive and coordinated policies and programmes of vocational guidance and vocational training. It reports that there are 52 municipal Danish Youth Guidance Centres providing guidance services for young people up to the age of 25 years focusing on the transition from compulsory to youth education, or to the labour market. There are also seven regional guidance centres tasked with the overall responsibility for providing guidance to youth and adults in relation to further education programmes under the “Choice of Study” programme. The Government also provides information on a range of initiatives related to vocational training and guidance implemented in the framework of the 2003 Act on guidance, as well as projects specifically targeted at young people with special needs. In this respect, the Committee notes the eGuidance platform, launched in January 2011. The Government indicates that, in 2017, it set new goals with regard to educational attainment, according to which at least 90 per cent of 25-year-olds will complete a general or vocational upper secondary education and the percentage of youths who are not in education or active in the labour market should be reduced by half by 2030. The Committee notes the implementation of a new Preparatory Basic Education and Training (FGU), which supports the achievement of these indicators. The Committee also notes the adoption of four acts in May 2018 which form the basis for the FGU programmes. The Committee takes note of the measures implemented by the Ministry of Education to interest young people in vocational training, inter alia, through the 2015–16 “Joint Guidance” project and the 2014–19 “Vision in Education” project. The Committee notes with interest the tripartite agreement on adult training and education concluded between the Government and the social partners in 2017, which is scheduled to run until 2021. The Government indicates that the agreement aims to strengthen activities in the sphere of publicly offered adult training and education programmes and to improve the quality of adult vocational training programmes, while ensuring more flexibility for employers in the public and private sectors to facilitate their improved access to qualified labour. It adds that the agreement creates a new framework for keeping workforce skills up to date with the pace of ongoing changes in the labour market and for ensuring that more workers – particularly low-skilled workers – participate in vocational training and education. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide updated information on the content and impact of measures to promote vocational guidance and vocational training, including the newly adopted legislation and programmes. The Committee also requests the Government to provide detailed information on the nature and content of the initiatives referred to by the Government targeting youth with special needs and to clarify which categories of young people are included in the category of “special needs”. It also requests the Government to continue to provide information on the manner in which the cooperation of the social partners is ensured in relation to the development, implementation and review of vocational education and training policies. In particular, the Committee requests the Government to provide information on the implementation and impact of the tripartite agreement on adult training and education on improving the quality of publicly offered adult training and educational programmes and enhancing both the employability of the trainees as well as increasing employers’ access to better qualified job candidates.