Preparatory adult education (FVU)

FVU – preparatory adult education – is free education for adults who want to improve their reading, writing and arithmetic. It is not an education in a trade, but a foundation: an offer to you who find Danish or mathematics lacking and who want to strengthen it — either for your own sake, for the job's sake or to be able to take an education afterwards. You meet teachers who are used to adults and a pace you can keep up with.

The teaching is divided up so you can take exactly what you need: FVU-reading (Danish—reading writing and understanding texts) and FVU-mathematics (calculating and using numbers in everyday life and at work). You work with concrete examples that resemble what you encounter in everyday life and at work and you start at the level that suits you so you are neither bored nor left behind. Groups are often small and there is room to ask. It is not about going back to school benches as a child but about getting adult tools in place.

• 01You become better at reading, writing and understanding texts (FVU-reading).
• 02You become better at maths and using numbers in everyday life and work (FVU-maths).
• 03You start at the level that suits you and build from there.
• 04You get more confidence in situations where Danish or mathematics used to be a problem.
• 05You lay a foundation that makes it easier to take courses or education afterward.

FVU is offered among other things at VUC and other adult education sites and is free to participate in. Before you start, you take a short, non-binding test that shows what level you should start at – so the teaching hits you right. You can often take FVU alongside a job, e.g. in evening classes or in scheduled courses, and some workplaces offer it to their employees. You don't need specific grades or an education beforehand to start.

FVU is often the stepping stone to more. When Danish and mathematics are more secure, it becomes easier to manage a basic course on a vocational education, take vocational courses or continue with other adult education. For some it also makes everyday life and working life noticeably easier right now – from reading a work instruction to calculating a quote. Regardless of what you dream of, a solid foundation in Danish and mathematics is hard to get around.

“It is never too late to get better at what should have stuck in primary school — and it opens more doors than you think.”