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Adult education in Denmark consists of a broad variety of programmes and institutions, both in the formal and in informal sector. Most of them are partly financed by the state or the municipalities an partly by participants. Lifelong learning is a political keyword, but this does not always translate into action and financing, especially not for non-formal adult education.
By Michael Voss, InfoNet Adult Education, June 2007
A wide range of opportunities exists for adults in Denmark in regard to continuing education within both the formal education system and non-formal adult education (AE).
Formal adult education
The formal AE system comprises both vocational AE as well as general AE:
• Special education for adults with a physical or mental handicap.
• Danish as a Second Language courses.
• Preparatory AE (FVU): literacy skills in reading, spelling and writing as well as basic numeracy, arithmetic and basic mathematical concepts.
• General AE (AVU) provides qualifications relevant for further education and working life.
• Higher Preparatory Examination (HF): single-subject teaching preparing students for further education.
• Labour Market Training (AMU). Vocational programmes, including courses directly tailored to company competence requirements.
• Vocational AE (AVU) and Basic AE (GVU) for unskilled workers, who wish to become adult apprentices.
• Further AE/VVU: a short-cycle course of higher education
• Diploma level education: a medium-cycle higher education course
Non-formal adult education
Today non-formal AE consists of:
• Evening schools (about 1.800) offer non-formal AE to increase the individual’s overall subject-related insight and skills. Local private institutions most of them part of 5 national AE associations of whom 4 are linked to political parties.
• Danish University Extension: educative instruction and lectures by the extra-mural departments of the 4 Danish universities, organised by about 100 local committees.
• Day High Schools (about 50) offer teaching with an educative or job-promoting aim for adults with little formal education and people in a personally or socially vulnerable situation. Private institutions.
• Folk High Schools (about 80) offers residential short courses (less than a fortnight) and residential long courses (of over 12 weeks). Private institutions, some of them linked to religious associations, trade unions or NGO’s.
The Danish Adult Education Association (www.daea.dk) is the umbrella organisation for all non-formal education institutions and associations.
Legal and organisational framework
AE is based on several different laws, and jurisdiction is divided between 5 different ministries. The municipalities are responsible for non-formal AE as well as special education of adults, while most AE centers have become self-governing state institutions.
The institution of non-formal education is listed above. Among the most important institutions of formal AE are:
• Language centres,
• Adult Education Centers, (VUC)
• Labour Market Training Centers (AMU)
• Technical, schools, business schools, agricultural schools and basic social & health service schools, Center for Higher Education (CVU) and universities are all primarily for young people, but offers also AE. Most of them also self-governing state institutions.
Funding and tuition
The self-governing state institutions are financed partly by the state partly by tuition fee, that may either be paid by a local public authority or by the participant himself. Participants may receive National AE Support (SVU) on different sets of conditions.
The finances of non-formal AE institutions are based on tuition fees.
Evening schools are supported, though, by municipalities with 1/3 of expenses for teachers and free premises and university extension with the same percentage by the state.
Teaching costs for the individual participant of day high schools are mostly covered by the municipality. Certified folk high schools receive a substantial government grant.
Adult education and the business sector
Since small and medium-sized companies are the predominant form, the vast majority of educational activities are located in the formal education system. But most of the large companies have special education departments – though often working in collaboration with Labour Market Training centres.
A growing number of private players offers supervision, assessment and education of job-seekers and those with short formal education, and a large private course market exists that offers continuing and further education to salaried workers, management and specialists.
Recent trends
Globalisation is the framework of most policymaking in Denmark. The government is aware that the educational level of the citizens is of primary importance, and lifelong learning is a key word.
This does not always translate into action and financing. Especially it seems that non-formal AE is forgotten whenever expert and governmental committees make their recommendations and new legislation is proposed.
On the basis of a broad political agreement the Danish parliament did though this spring vote for two important new laws: 1) On doubling the number of participants in FVU (se above); 2) On recognising prior learning, for example from non formal AE, in the formal education system.
The Ministry of Education also this spring introduced a new system of systematic evaluation and measurement of the effects of AE-programmes.
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June 2007
This article is based on a lengthy 2005-report by Agnete Nordentoft
 2005-report
This article was written for:
Info Net Adult Education
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