Agreement results in a shortage of qualified emloyees

Danish companies will be short of skilled employees when almost 4,000 international study places are now to be closed around the country.

This is the assessment of Danske Erhvervsakademier (Danish Business Academies), after a large political majority on Friday 18 June presented an agreement on the relocation of programmes.

The relocation will largely be paid for by closing 3,919 English-language study places.

According to Danske Erhvervsakademier (Danish Business Academies), this means that more Danish programmes must also close. A number of programmes at the business academies are offered in both Danish and English to make ends meet.

The agreement states that companies must be guaranteed access to qualified workers, but the result will be the exact opposite, says Charlotte Lundblad, Chairperson of the Board of Directors of Danske Erhvervsakademier (Danish Business Academies).

"The government itself points out that we face smaller youth populations. At the same time, the government will now provide fewer young people with a degree that Danish companies demand. This applies, among other things, to the IT programmes, where one in three of the IT students today attends a business academy programme", she says.

POLITICIANS WILL CLOSE DOWN PROGRAMMES

The political agreement to close programmes in English should ensure that fewer foreigners come to Denmark to study and receive SU, the state education grant. Nevertheless, the equation does not add up at all, says Niels Egelund, chairperson of the rector's college at The Danish Business Academies.

“This agreement will not make Denmark richer”. The consequence will be that fewer people will obtain short-cycle higher education degrees although companies are crying out for employees with exactly this level of educational skills. The politicians close down programmes, and this affects both companies and Danish young people," says Niels Egelund.

According to Niels Egelund, business academies have already cut the number of English-language programmes sharply. The new agreement will therefore hit study environments, mean fewer students and ultimately provide less, not more, manpower.

"Our programmes are short-cycle higher education, so we create an international environment with new ideas and perspectives by bringing students here. Politicians, business and students have benefited from this, but I find it difficult to see that it can continue", says Niels Egelund.