Basic course, main course and the EUX structure from start to journeyman's certificate
The fixed stages in a vocational qualification — and where the academic subjects fit on top
An EUX is built on the same basic structure as other vocational apprenticeships but with gymnasium subjects layered on top. To be able to plan your programme — and understand when you need to find an apprenticeship position — it is useful to know the stages and their order.
§The basic course's two parts
The basic course falls into two parts. The first part (often called GF1) is broadly introductory and is especially aimed at students coming directly from primary school; the second part (GF2) is aimed at a specific trade and prepares for the main course. Students starting later in life can in some cases start directly in the second part.
| Stage | Content | What it leads to |
|---|---|---|
| The basic course's 1st part | Broad, introductory teaching | Clarification and transition to a trade specialisation |
| The basic course's 2nd part | Trade-targeted teaching directed toward a specific trade. | Basic course test and access to main course |
| Main course | Alternation between school periods and practical training | Journeyman's exam — and on EUX also upper secondary school exam |
§The basic course test
The basic course's second part is completed with a basic course test that must be passed to move on to the main course. The test tests the professional prerequisites you need to bring into the actual professional training. On EUX you must also follow the academic subjects at the levels that belong to it, already along the way.
§Main course — alternation between school and practical work
In the main course you alternate between school periods at trade school and practicals at the company. This is where most of the practical vocational training takes place, and it is also where the last gymnasium subjects in EUX are completed. The length of the course depends on the specific trade, because the duration of the training is set per trade.
§The gymnasium part is woven in
What's special about EUX is that the higher education part is not a separate course afterwards but is woven into the program all the way through. So you encounter both the practical training of the trade and the higher education subjects in the same years. It places demands on planning but it also means that theory and practice can constantly work together.
- 01The basic course includes both trade-specific and academic subjects
- 02The main course's school periods conclude the gymnasium subjects at their respective levels
- 03Apprenticeship provides the trade's practical training towards the journeyman exam
- 04Finally you stand with both a journeyman's certificate and a secondary school diploma
§The journeyman's exam at the end
The course culminates in a journeyman's exam that documents that you have mastered the trade at journeyman level. The form of the journeyman's exam is set professionally by the professional committee for the training and can include both a practical task and an oral part. When the journeyman's exam has been passed and the academic subjects are in place, you have reached the goal: qualified craftsperson with journeyman's certificate and upper secondary school leaving examination in one.
“Basic course, main course and journeyman's test are the backbone of the vocational apprenticeship — EUX adds the academic exam on top without breaking the backbone.”