How retail education is set up — from basic course to journeyman
Basic courses 1 and 2, main course and alternation between school and apprenticeship — the whole journey explained
The retail education is a vocational education where you alternate between going to school and working in a real shop. In other words you are trained while you earn money — and you end with a journeyman's certificate and a specialty that fits the part of retail you are most passionate about. Here you get the whole structure explained so you know what you are getting into.
§The two basic courses
If you come more or less directly from primary and lower secondary school, you start on basic course 1 (GF1). It is the broad, investigative half-year where you work with general subjects like Danish and English and get a taste of what vocational education is about. GF1 is primarily for you if you are young and have not been in the labour market for a long time. If you are older or already have experience, you can skip GF1 and start on basic course 2.
Basic course 2 (GF2) is the trade-specific half-year. Here teaching is concretely about trade: customer service, sales, product knowledge, store economics and presenting goods. GF2 prepares you to go into a store and function in the main course. The basic course takes place at a vocational school and lasts about 20 weeks in total.
§Main course — in the shop
When you have passed the basic course and entered a training agreement with a company you begin the main course. This is where you really learn the trade. Most of your time is in the shop learning by doing things with experienced colleagues and occasionally you are called back to school in short school periods where the theory is linked to what you experience at the apprenticeship. The main course typically lasts around two years but the exact course depends on your specialty and background.
§Alternation between school and practical training
What's special about a vocational education is the alternating education principle: you switch between school and workplace throughout the program. This model means you can constantly test the theory in reality — and take questions from the shop back to school. The number of school weeks in the main program varies from specialty to specialty.
| Step | Where | Approximate duration |
|---|---|---|
| Basic course 1 | Vocational school. | Approx. 20 weeks total with GF2 |
| Basic course 2 | Vocational school. | Part of the code |
| Main course | Shop + school periods | Approx. 2 years, varies per specialisation |
| Conclusion | Skole/virksomhed | Trade exam/journeyman's exam. |
§Entry requirements and admission
To start the basic course you must have completed primary school and in principle achieved at least a certain grade average in Danish and mathematics from the leaving exams. If you don't meet the requirement there are other ways in — for example via an entrance exam and interview at the school. You apply via Optagelse.dk and there is an application deadline in spring for school start after the summer holidays. Always check the current requirements and deadlines at the specific school as they can be adjusted from year to year.
§EUX—education and upper secondary level in one
If you want both a trade and to keep the door open to higher education, you can choose the EUX variant. Then you combine retail education with academic subjects at a level that gives study competence. The EUX course is longer than the ordinary path because there are more subjects to cover.
Regardless of which path you choose, the course ends with a final test — a trade test where you demonstrate that you master your speciality. If you pass it, you are qualified in retail.