By Dorthe Kirkgaard Nielsen – link to LinkedIn profile https://www.linkedin.com/in/dorthe-kirkgaard-nielsen-b491366/ – for EPALE Denmark

When talking about lifelong learning, employability and micro-credentials in the context of the EU, all you need to do is take a look at the Danish AMU system. Since 1960, AMU – Arbejdsmarkedsuddannelser (Labour Market Training) – has constantly provided continuing education and skills development to both skilled and unskilled workers in the Danish labour market.

The system is aimed at citizens with the least education, and is designed to continuously support skilled and unskilled workers in developing their professional skills so they can keep up with the demands of the labour market. It’s a system where they can acquire the qualifications and skills the labour market needs – for the benefit of individuals, businesses and society.

“The Danish AMU system was created when we transitioned from an agricultural society to an industrial society because we realised that we needed to develop the skills of the workforce moving over from agriculture.  Without developing their skills, known as upskilling, individuals would be in a tough situation, lacking the skills to get a job – and companies would not be able to find enough qualified workers,” says Peter Thomsen, director of AMU Nordjylland.

“Since then, the AMU system has been used to continuously upskill skilled and unskilled workers for the service society, digitisation and now the green transition.  The AMU system is an important part of the Danish ‘flexicurity’ model since AMU offers us a unique system that can quickly upskill the workforce with affordable and geographically accessible training – for the benefit of individuals, businesses and society,” he continues.

A wealth of different courses and shorter vocational training

Through the AMU system, both the employed and unemployed can access everything from half, full-day or multi-week short courses right up to full training programmes with up to 90 days of AMU courses. You can take courses in food hygiene, get certificates for the transport sector, metal industry, construction sector, etc. and take courses in IT, staff development, Danish, ergonomics and well-being, safety, biodiversity in landscape gardening, transferring to social care and much more.

You can also combine entire programmes. For example, it takes three AMU courses totaling 33 days to become a qualified cable installer if you have no experience in the electrotechnical industry. You can also train as a concrete finisher through a combination of working at a company and taking part in six three-week AMU courses.

This is how the AMU system allows for shorter vocational training for people who may not be willing, or, who due to their life situation, cannot complete longer training programmes.

Courses can be booked by businesses, by job centres for the unemployed, and by individuals.

A certificate for each completed course

Teaching on AMU courses is both practical and theoretical, with a strong focus on practical workshops, and programmes can be taken as both part and full-time. They can take place at schools, out at the workplace and also online for certain subjects. All AMU courses provide qualifications. Students receive a certificate for each completed course, and some of the courses act as credit towards vocational training.

At the same time, each course participant can receive an individual skills assessment so that individuals can build a tailor-made programme based on a real skills assessment.

“The AMU system is highly flexible because individual participants can get exactly what they need. What’s more, AMU courses can be completely tailored to the needs of the individual business, and then the students receive a certificate of their skills,” Thomsen points out.

Easily pieced together like Lego bricks according to people’s needs

The basic idea behind the AMU system is to create a state-subsidised form of training that can support further education of skilled and unskilled workers who have not already paid for further education.

“The AMU system is designed to train unskilled workers for specialised tasks and to support the needs of the labour market, and it is a fantastically agile system because you can combine the many AMU courses like Lego bricks according to the individual’s or business’ needs,” explains Lotte Mollerup, head consultant at Danske Erhvervsskoler og Gymnasier. 

“The system is well-adapted for changes in the labour market, and entirely new courses can be developed in a short space of time – just six weeks if a sudden need arises. Through AMU, both individuals and the labour market can gain new skills relatively quickly so they are ready for future work,” she continues.

State subsidies makes upskilling almost cost-free

In addition to the rapid reorganisation, the AMU system also offers businesses long-term and strategic planning around employee skills development.

Lotte Mollerup sees affordability as a one of the great strengths of AMU. It typically costs DKK 650 for a one-week course at AMU, and between DKK 128 - DKK 192 per day. For specific courses, there may be a supplement of up to DKK 700 per week.

“But regardless, it’s affordable because the courses are subsidised by the state. At the same time, businesses or employees get pay compensation during the course. Board and lodging are also covered if a course is only available at a school some distance from participants’ homes. So, it’s almost free to get upskilled,” explains Mollerup.

Helping to ensure growth and progress

She is in no doubt that the AMU system helps to ensure Denmark’s growth and progress.

“The fact that we have an agile system with affordable, quality-assured and geographically accessible further education and training is of huge value to individuals, the Danish labour market and the whole of society,” says Mollerup.

Today, there are around 3,000 AMU courses on offer at vocational schools and AMU schools across Denmark. In addition to focusing on the labour market at a general societal level, AMU courses are also targeted at local labour markets where the AMU programmes on offer are adapted to local needs.

Individual AMU providers are in close dialogue with both local businesses and local job centres to put together relevant programmes for the employed and unemployed in a given area to make sure the necessary professional skills are available.

AMU providers are in close dialogue with local businesses

As an AMU provider, CELF, Center for Erhvervsrettede Uddannelser Lolland Falster (The Center for Vocational Training Lolland Falster), has been cooperating closely with both job centres and consortia on the Fehmarnbelt Fixed Link. Dialogue has centred around upskilling both the unemployed and those already employed at the combined bridge and tunnel link between Denmark and Germany.

Together with the joint venture Femern Link Contractors and local job centres, CELF has put together an AMU course package that will train a team of fitters to work on the assembly of factory halls.

Special courses have been designed for drivers, machine operators, riggers and logistics staff who will work on the Fehmarnbelt Fixed Link. Together with job centres in Guldborgsund and Lolland municipalities, CELF has designed the programme “Your path to the construction industry”, aimed at unskilled, potential workers on the Fehmarnbelt Fixed Link.

“As an AMU provider, we can design and completely tailor our programmes to employers’ needs by creating packages of different AMU courses. We were founded to support the local business community together with businesses and public authorities, and “Your path to the construction industry” is an example of a course tailored to the expected needs of our local area,” explains Michael Bang, CEO of CELF.

AMU is here to counter labour shortages

The extensive construction around the Fehmarnbelt also has the potential to create a vacuum effect for other businesses in the area that are not associated with the construction at all since all the workers are drawn to the Fehmarnbelt Fixed Link. This means businesses may end up not being able to find workers. CELF is also helping to meet this challenge through its AMU courses.

Among other things, CELF has designed a special skills programme for a local manufacturer that normally lays off its workers during the off-season.

This year, the company has instead chosen to send its employees on an upskilling course focusing on five processes around maintenance, lean manufacturing, quality, cooperation and safety.

“This is how we support our local business community – by raising employees’ skills and ensuring that businesses can retain good, skilled workers,” says Bang.

Upskilling for other jobs and industries

The AMU system plays an important role in seasonal, cyclical and structural unemployment. The close dialogue with businesses, trade unions, job centres, etc. helps to train up more unskilled workers to a skilled level and ensures that groups of skilled workers moving across sectors are trained up in new areas.

An example of this is when the North Jutlandic electronics factory, Flextronics, based in Pandrup, first scaled-down its workforce from more than 1,000 employees and then closed down and laid off the remaining 330 employees.

“In these situations, the AMU programme is put into action and we rapidly upskill all those laid off employees so they are qualified for other jobs and other industries by designing tailor-made programmes,” says Peter Thomsen from AMU Nordjylland.

He sees the close link with local labour markets as a great strength since it forces AMU providers into close dialogue with local authorities and businesses.

Wide geographical accessibility is a great strength

At the same time, he sees the relatively short distances to reach AMU providers as a great advantage.

“It is an undeniable strength that you can build new skills locally since unskilled workers are not the most mobile people. At the schools, we also work a great deal on motivation, since some people are used to school being synonymous with bad grades, bad experiences and failure,” says Thomsen.

“Here at AMU, the experience should be completely different, and the programmes can be tailored to the individual and their needs so that it will be a successful experience, and we can thereby raise the level of education of individuals and society more broadly,” he continues.

Both employers and employees help develop AMU courses

All three also see the broad range of more than 3,000 courses as a great strength, even if some of the many courses do not go ahead due to low interest. Moreover, they point out the entire way in which the AMU system is anchored.

AMU is defined in labour market legislation, but is a part of the Danish Ministry of Education, and the courses/training programmes are designed and organised into specific options for continuing education through close cooperation between the Ministry, employers and employees.

AMU courses are constantly updated based on needs and using the latest theories and practical methods of learning in each area.

“It is yet another strength of the AMU system that we have quality control from the state and the professional continuing education committees, and that you can’t just set up an AMU course without approval,” says Bang, CEO of CELF.

“So it’s not just random training from a private provider. They are courses linked to regular vocational training where the participants receive proof of their skills. Something that can act as credit towards parts of professional courses and make it easier to find a job and provide a qualified workforce,” he continues.