Danish Commerce

1
Education in the danish retail sector

• Danish Commerce Services
• Senior consultant Gorm Johansen
• Reykjavik, April 2006

2
Agenda

• Short introduction to Danish Commerce Services
• Megatrends in Danish retail sector
• Brief introduction to educational system
• Vocational education and training in the retail
  sector
• Future challenges

3
My background work areas

• Senior adviser, educational affairs, business
  development and retail trends
• Work areas
• Policymaking and media handling
• Vocational education and training (VET)
• Continuing education and training (CET) adult
  training
• E-learning, e-business and retail trends
• Counselling for companies
• Educational affairs (VET CET)
• Business development and training (HRM)

4
Danish Commerce Services

• 6500 members
• Represents over 30.000 businesses
• 38 different trades
• Total salary sum 25 billion DKK.
• 95 employees
• www.dhs.dk

• Leading organisation within retail and service
  sector
• Full-service organisation for members
• Vice-President in Eurocommerce
• Part in danish government counsel for
  globalisation

• Retail
• Wholesale
• IT-businesses
• Accountants
• Attorneys at Law
• Temp/Placement
• Advertising agencies
• Media Agencies
• Travel agency
• Tourism
• Financing Companies
• Privately owned hospitals clinics
• Insurance Companies

5
Mega trends in danish retail sector

• Massive expansion in discount sector fastest
  growing retail sector
• Retail sector (food) divided into 3 major
  retailcompanies DS, COOP Dagrofa
• Fierce competition for skilled labour
• Independent non-food stores are integrated in so
  called voluntary retail chains
• Professionalisation of HR and recruitment
• Massive changes in traditional trades and skills
  requirements

6
The danish educational system
Vocational education training (VET)
Continuing education training (VET)
7
Monitoring of Vocational Education
The Ministry of Education
The Council of Vocational Education
The Department for Vocational Education
Trade comittees for Vocational Education
College Board
Local Vocational College
Local Educational Committees
8
Trade Committees I

• One committee for each individual vocational
  programme
• 50/50 representation
• Currently appr. 57 trade committes
• Appointed for a period of 4 years
• Constituted and based on the Act on Vocational
  Education Training 37 38
• Make recommendations to the Council of Vocational
  Education

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Trade Committees II

• Approve practical training enterprises
• Responsible for issuing certificates of education
• Responsible for developing training programmes
  that satisfy the markets demands
• Lay down provisions on the
• contents,
• structure,
• duration and
• evaluation of the specific VET programmes in
  question

10
Structure of VET system
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Education in the retail sector within sales

• Retail sales assistant
• Based on 2-3 years upper secondary school prior
  to vocational training at vocational college
• 2 years of vocational training with 8 weeks of
  integrated school modules
• 21 profiles (e.g. textile, electronic goods,
  grocery, hardware)
• Shop assistant
• 1 year of upper secondary school
• 1 year of vocational training with 4 weeks of
  integrated school modules

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The 4 currents and learning skills

• Based on 4 currents
• Customer flow, e.g. personal sale and/or product
  presentation ,
• Information flow, e.g. product registration and
  sales data ,
• Goods flow, e.g. the handling, ordering and
  purchasing of goods,
• Capital flow, e.g. cashing-up and cash statement
• Competence and learning skills are managed by
  following taxonomy
• Familiar with, or
• Competent with assistance, or
• Competent without assistance

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The checklist- Flexibility is top priority!
Customer flow
Compulsory learning Skills e.g.
Customer- Service and guidance, Space management
Optional learning skills e.g. personal sales
Sum of points must be 280 in total
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Legislative requirements

• Companies must be approved by the trade committee
• Educational contract must be signed before
  beginning of training period
• Checklist must be made within 3 months
• Naming of persons responsible for training and
  education

15
Advantages and challenges ahead

• The VET systems advantage and purpose is based
  on its flexibility and ability to change in
  accordance to development in the trade and
  business development
• The good stories
• Food assistant interdisciplinary education
  however, very long development period,
• Changeability within the profiles no sector
  challenge
• The bad examples
• Bakery and butchery within retail stores
  challenging of traditional skill perception
• New educational requirements from
  companies/trades as well as governmental demands

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Political pressure at present

• Companies to provide enough training sites
• Problem that only 1/3 of approved companies
  provide training sites
• Compared to 1997 there has been a drop in annual
  education contracts signed of 50!
• However, DHS survey shows 25 recruitment of
  students in 2006. This is backed by official
  surveys.
• Future structure in VET system is a system
  structured in 3 levels and with different
  practical and theoretical levels of skills

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Continuing the dialogue

• Questions or future counselling
• Please do not hesitate to
• Email gjo_at_dhs.dk
• Phone [phone] 4527207324