Apprenticeships abroad have become easier to organise in Denmark following a reform that simplifies financial support and administrative procedures for vocational students, apprentices and their employers. Since 1 July 2026, several reimbursements have been replaced by a single monthly allowance, while new mobile-friendly digital services allow participants to manage their applications during their stay.
The support is administered by the Employers’ Educational Grant scheme (Arbejdsgivernes Uddannelsesbidrag, AUB), a fund financed by Danish employers and managed by ATP, Denmark’s statutory pension and benefits administrator.
Under the new rules presented on the Danish public services portal Borger.dk, apprentices who begin a placement abroad on or after 1 July can receive three main forms of assistance: travel support for interviews, a monthly allowance during the placement and, in certain cases, financial support for school periods completed in Denmark.
One monthly allowance for apprenticeships abroad
The central change is the introduction of a single monthly allowance for expenses connected to a training placement outside Denmark.
Previously, apprentices could apply separately for several reimbursements and were often required to keep receipts and submit documentation for individual expenses. The new allowance can instead be used according to the apprentice’s needs, including for travel, rent, insurance and required vaccinations.
The amount depends on the destination and the duration of the placement. To continue receiving the allowance, the apprentice must confirm each month that the placement abroad is still taking place.
The reform also gives participants the same access to support regardless of whether they already have an apprenticeship contract with a Danish company. This reduces one of the differences that previously affected access to international vocational placements.
Apprentices may also receive travel assistance when attending a job interview or a trial placement with a foreign employer. Those without a Danish apprenticeship contract may qualify for financial support when they return to Denmark for mandatory classroom-based periods and receive no salary, or a lower salary, from their foreign employer.
Less paperwork for Danish companies
The new procedures are also intended to reduce the administrative burden on Danish employers.
For placements beginning on or after 1 July, the company must create the foreign training agreement through a new self-service system on Virk.dk, Denmark’s digital portal for businesses. The apprentice then applies for the allowance through Borger.dk and can follow payments through the digital platform, including from a mobile phone.
According to the Confederation of Danish Employers (Dansk Arbejdsgiverforening), administrative requirements can influence whether a business decides to send an apprentice abroad.
“Many companies operate across national borders. It is therefore important that they can attract and develop talent with an international outlook,” said Jannik Bay, the organisation’s head of education and integration, in comments reported by Avisen Danmark.
The simplified system therefore addresses both sides of the placement. Apprentices face fewer documentation requirements, while employers have a more standardised procedure for registering agreements and managing financial support.
Vocational mobility remains less common
International mobility is well established among university students, particularly through Erasmus+, but it remains less common in vocational education and company-based apprenticeships.
The European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training, Cedefop, describes cross-border mobility among apprentices as a niche phenomenon, especially when placements last several months. Its research on apprentice mobility identifies several obstacles, including administrative complexity, differences between national vocational systems and companies’ reluctance to release apprentices during productive stages of their training.
Apprentices also occupy a position between education and employment. A period abroad must therefore be coordinated not only with a school but also with an employer, employment contracts, salary arrangements and workplace safety requirements.
The European Union has sought to increase this form of mobility through ErasmusPro and other parts of Erasmus+. Vocational learners and apprentices can currently complete placements lasting between two weeks and 12 months at companies or vocational education providers abroad.
The EU’s broader learning mobility objectives include a target under which at least 15% of vocational learners should benefit from an experience abroad. Removing financial and administrative barriers is considered necessary if vocational students are to gain access to international opportunities on a scale closer to that available in higher education.
International experience beyond universities
Supporters of the Danish reform argue that foreign placements can give apprentices both occupational skills and greater independence.
“Young people who complete training abroad often return with more than experience from another workplace. They return with greater independence, new professional perspectives and a better understanding of different ways of working,” said Nanna Højlund, deputy president of the Danish Trade Union Confederation (Fagbevægelsens Hovedorganisation).
For Denmark, the reform forms part of a broader effort to make vocational education more attractive and internationally oriented. It also recognises that educational mobility should not remain concentrated among university students.
The effectiveness of the changes will depend on whether more companies use the simplified system and whether apprentices consider the monthly allowance sufficient to cover the higher costs associated with living abroad. The reform nevertheless removes some of the practical barriers that have traditionally made international experience harder to access for vocational learners.
