How you conduct a quality control at a production facility
Basic courses 1 and 2, main course, levels 1 and 2 and alternation between school and training
If you want to be a crane operator, you follow a vocational education that hangs together like a chain: a basic course at school and then a longer main course where you alternate between school periods and training in a company. You learn something at school bench and use it afterwards in reality — behind the wheel of a truck and in the cab of a crane.
§Basic course 1 and 2
If you come more or less directly from primary school, you start on the 1st part of the basic course. Here you sniff at the transport and heavy machinery world and find out if the trade suits you. Then comes the 2nd part of the basic course, which is aimed at the crane trade and prepares you professionally to begin an apprenticeship. If you left school years ago or have other experience with you, you can in many cases start directly on the 2nd part.
The basic course is completed with a test, which you must pass to move on. It is also here that some of the basic courses fall into place — for example truck certificate, first aid and elementary fire fighting — so you are ready to step into the main course.
§Main course — school and practical work in alternation
The main course is the heart of the training. Here you are employed as an apprentice at a company and alternate between periods at the workplace and periods at school. The vast majority of the time is in training, while the school periods are shorter blocks spread over the course. This way, you build both manual skills and theory simultaneously. It is also in the main course that you get your driver's license and crane operator's certificate and learn to operate the different types of cranes.
§Step 1 and step 2
The education can be completed at two levels. Level 1 makes you a crane operator—that is the core of the trade. If you want to go further, you can build level 2 on top and become a transport dispatcher, where you work more with planning, dispatching, and managing transport and tasks. Level 2 extends the total education.
§How long does it take?
If you count basic training 1 and 2, stage 1 typically lasts about 3 years and 6 months. If you choose to take stage 2 (transport manager) on top, the total time becomes longer – up to about 5 years. The exact length depends among other things on where you start and your choice of stage.
| Phase. | What's happening | Approximately |
|---|---|---|
| Basic course 1 | Introduction to transport and heavy equipment | School program |
| Basic course 2 | Targeted crane trade, concluded with exam | School program |
| Main course, level 1 | Training in a company + school periods, driving licence and crane operator certificate | Most of the time |
| Step 2 (optional) | Dispatch manager — dispatching and planning on top of level 1 | Supplement |
| Total, step 1 | Incl. basic course 1 and 2 | Ca. 3 år og 6 mdr. |
| Total, with step 2 | Incl. basic course and dispatch operator | Op mod ca. 5 år |
§Admission and access requirements
To enter you must in principle have passed 9th or 10th grade with at least 2.0 on average in both Danish and mathematics. If you don't meet the requirement there is often an opportunity for an entrance interview or entrance exam and the same applies if it has been some time since you left school.
If you are an adult and turning 25 or older, you can in some cases take the education as an arranged adult course (euv) where experience and previous education can shorten the path. Talk to the counselor at the school you want to apply to — they can make a plan that fits your specific background.