Adult education and continuing training

Education and training for adults at all levels

Adult courses leading to formal qualifications qualifying for further education or for the labour market include:

• Preparatory adult education (FVU):
  Offered to improve basic literacy and numeracy skills of adults who do not have sufficient qualifications to follow education and training or cope with the demands of working life).
• General adult education (AVU):
  General education at lower secondary level.
• Higher preparatory single-subject courses (HF enkeltfag):
  General education at upper secondary level.
• Adult vocational training (AMU):
  Mainly targets unskilled and skilled workers on the labour market who need to develop their competences. The programmes are developed and adapted according to the needs of the labour market.
• Basic adult education (GVU):
  Based on credit for former experience and qualifications of the individual participant supplemented with selected courses from the vocational training programme leading to the same professional level and same final test as pupils who complete a corresponding youth education).
• Further adult education (VVU)
  Corresponds to the level of academy profession programmes.
• Diploma programmes
  Correspond to the level of bachelor programmes.
• Master programmes
  Correspond to the level of master's (candidatus) programmes.

Non-formal education

A wide range of different schools operate within the framework of non-formal adult education (folkeoplysning). The most well-known are the Folk High Schools, which are residential schools providing general and non-formal education. The length of courses varies – from one week to up to almost a year – and are attended by adults of all ages. They are non-qualifying courses meant to broaden general, social and democratic competencies.

Other programmes of liberal adult education are offered by Adult Education Associations and Day Folk High Schools, or they can be university extension courses.