FVU's five subject areas: from Danish and mathematics to digital and English
Most people only know of reading and numeracy — but today FVU encompasses five different subjects
When people hear 'FVU', most immediately think of reading and mathematics. That's true—they're the two oldest and best-known subject areas, but FVU has since developed into a broader offering. According to the Ministry of Children and Education's description of FVU's content and subjects, there are now five subject areas that together cover written Danish, mathematics, digital skills, English, and spoken Danish for multilingual speakers.
§Five trades — not just two
The expansion is not random. The job market increasingly requires that you can function digitally and in English—not just read a work instruction or calculate an estimate. Therefore FVU-digital and FVU-English have been made into permanent subject areas while FVU-start is designed as a cautious entry for bilingual adults who do not yet have enough Danish to benefit fully from the other subjects.
§FVU-Danish (formerly called FVU-reading)
FVU-Danish is what many still know as FVU-reading. The subject has four levels and works with reading, spelling and written composition. The top level corresponds in skill level to the level after grade 9 of primary school. Here you work both with understanding texts of increasing difficulty and with being able to write clearly and correctly yourself.
§FVU-mathematics
FVU-mathematics is structured in two levels, where the top level also corresponds to the level after 9th grade. Here you work with numbers, the four basic operations, percentages, fractions and practical everyday mathematics — such as making a budget, understanding a quote or measuring on a building site.
§FVU-digital
FVU-digital has four levels and should strengthen participants' opportunities to develop and gain proficiency and confident use of basic digital skills. The subject and FVU-English were continued permanently from 2024, and the target groups for both subjects have since been expanded – partly because a national strategic initiative for digital learning in the vocational education sector allocates 30 million kroner annually in 2024-2026 and 20 million kroner permanently from 2027.
- 01To log in safely with MitID and use Digital Post
- 02To write and send an email or message at work
- 03To search for jobs and fill out digital application forms
- 04To use the digital systems your workplace requires
§FVU-English
FVU-English likewise has four levels and should develop basic, functional strategies that strengthen the participant's communicative skills in English – aimed at job, education and community life. It is not the school's classical grammar teaching, but a subject focused on being able to use English in concrete, practical situations.
§FVU-start
FVU-start is different from the other four subjects. It is an oral offering for bilingual applicants who already know some Danish, but not yet enough to benefit from FVU-Danish, FVU-mathematics or a vocational course. The goal is to improve oral skills so the participant can then continue in one of the other subject areas.
| Trade area. | Number of steps | Short about content |
|---|---|---|
| FVU-Danish | 4 steps | PLACEHOLDER_99 |
| FVU-mathematics | 2 steps | Numbers, arithmetic, everyday math |
| FVU-digital | 4 steps | Basic digital skills and routine |
| FVU-English | 4 steps | Communicative English for work and everyday |
| FVU-start | Oral offer | Oral Danish for bilingual speakers |
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