Challenge
The labor force in Denmark includes a large group of low skilled workers - and while there is now a tendency for a significant decrease in the number of workers with no formal education in Denmark, there is a corresponding increase in the need for skilled labor. In order to ensure skilled labor for companies, a new employment reform was entered into in 2018, which implied a more lucrative adult apprenticeship scheme. However, companies, unemployment insurance funds and job centres were not sufficiently aware of the good opportunities in the new adult apprenticeship scheme.
Approach
The parties behind the employment reform agreed to set aside funds for a broad-based campaign, which main purpose was to spread knowledge of opportunities in the Adult Apprenticeship and thereby motivate target groups for the scheme to make use of it. The campaign was anchored in FH – Danish Trade Union Confederation (Fagbevægelsens Hovedorganisation), but implemented in collaboration with six additional unions, their unemployment insurance funds and STAR - The Danish Agency for Labor Market and Recruitment (Styrelsen for Arbejdsmarked og Rekruttering). FH asked Epinion to conduct an evaluation to supply documentation of the campaign effect.
Resolution
Epinion’s evaluation provided FH with numerical evidence that the campaign has contributed positively to increase the number of adult apprenticeships schemes – partly by increasing the knowledge of the scheme among potential adult trainees, but also by motivating prospective employers to take on an adult trainee. Moreover, the evaluation pointed towards possible improvements in methods and organization in order to strengthen the future work with increasing knowledge and use of Adult Apprenticeship.
