Short apprenticeship agreements in Denmark reached a record level in 2025, forcing a growing number of vocational students to look for several placements before completing their training. The development has prompted Minister for Education (undervisningsminister) Magnus Heunicke to call employers and trade unions back to the negotiating table, despite a 2020 tripartite agreement intended to reduce the use of short contracts.
A new analysis by the Economic Council of the Labour Movement (Arbejderbevægelsens Erhvervsråd, AE) and the Danish Trade Union Confederation (Fagbevægelsens Hovedorganisation, FH), reported by DR, found that 7,596 short training agreements were signed in 2025, the highest figure recorded. That is slightly above the previous peak of 7,536 in 2021 and more than twice the 2,885 agreements recorded in 2010.
Short apprenticeship agreements leave students without certainty
Denmark’s vocational education system combines classroom teaching with practical training at a workplace. Under a standard training agreement, an apprentice can remain with an employer for the period needed to complete the practical part of the programme.
A short agreement instead covers only part of that period. Once it expires, the student may have to find another employer or wait to learn whether the existing contract will be extended.
The system was designed to make it possible for companies unable to commit to an entire apprenticeship to still offer training. Its increasing use, however, means that some students have to apply for placements repeatedly during the same education.
Aske Christiansen, chair of the Danish Vocational School Students’ Organisation (Erhvervsskolernes Elevorganisation), told DR that the arrangement can effectively become a second probationary period. Apprentices already face a three-month probation period, but some are then offered contracts lasting only around one year.
The concern is particularly pronounced in construction. According to the analysis reported by Danish construction media, short agreements accounted for 18.2 percent of all new training agreements in 2025, compared with 14.3 percent in 2023. In several programmes, including masonry, plumbing and energy, painting, carpentry-related trades and electrical training, more than six in ten new agreements were short.
A 2020 agreement has not reversed the trend
The increase runs against the objective of a 2020 tripartite agreement between the government, employers and trade unions.
Under that agreement, a company may initially enter into one short agreement with an apprentice. If the company then decides to extend it, the new agreement is supposed to cover the rest of the training period.
The number of short agreements initially declined, reaching 6,320 in 2023, but has since risen again to a new record.
FH argues that the development creates unnecessary insecurity for young people entering the labour market. Deputy chair Nanna Højlund told DR that apprentices may not know whether they will be able to finish their education, while the confederation has accused employers of undermining efforts to make vocational education more attractive.
Trade union 3F has made a similar argument. Søren Heisel, the union’s official responsible for education policy, said that short agreements were intended to be an exception, rather than a standard arrangement used by established companies with long experience of training apprentices.
Employers say short contracts can create more opportunities
The Danish Employers’ Confederation (Dansk Arbejdsgiverforening, DA) disputes the idea that the growing number of short agreements necessarily represents a problem.
Mina Bernardini, a director at DA, told DR that apprentices with short agreements do not show higher dropout rates. Employers also argue that a shorter contract may be preferable to having no apprenticeship placement at all.
The organisation points in particular to smaller businesses, which may struggle to predict their finances and workload several years in advance. Committing to paying and training an apprentice throughout an entire programme can therefore be difficult.
For those companies, short agreements can make it possible to take on apprentices without accepting a multi-year commitment.
The disagreement is therefore not only about how many contracts are short, but about whether flexibility for employers is improving access to apprenticeships or transferring too much uncertainty to students.
Denmark needs more skilled workers
Heunicke has sided with those calling for changes. The minister described the situation to DR as unsustainable and said he would convene the labour-market partners for talks.
Denmark has a strong demand for skilled workers, making the conditions offered to vocational students an increasingly important labour-market issue. Heunicke said the country “desperately needs skilled workers” and questioned a system in which apprentices can begin their practical training without knowing whether they will have a placement until they obtain their qualification.
The Ministry of Education confirms that Heunicke has served as Minister for Education since June 2026, after previously holding several other cabinet posts. His decision to reopen discussions puts the apprenticeship system back on the agenda only six years after employers, unions and the government last agreed to restrict short agreements.
The next negotiations will have to reconcile two competing objectives: allowing companies enough flexibility to offer apprenticeship places while giving students greater certainty that they can complete their education. With short agreements now at their highest recorded level, the existing balance appears likely to be reconsidered.
